Tiger Skin
by AlbinoLungs
Summary: Artemis has died, and the team is suffering. Can they pull together to fight this new group of villains calling themselves 'Young Injustice?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! I have yet another story in the works for Young Justice! I hope everyone likes it. Whelp, here we go!**

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><p>Robin dragged his newly polished black Italian leather shoes along the seemingly endless halls of Mount Justice. He wore a custom made black suit accompanied with a white dress shirt and a dark green tie. His eyes were, as usual, hidden with a pair of brand-new black Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses, and his utility belt was shoved into the pocket of his jacket. After calculating it, Robin came to the conclusion that the outfit coast more then a thousand dollars – barely putting a dent into his guardian's wallet. However, there was one other piece to Robin's outfit that didn't coast him a thing. On his left wrist was a small silver chain. On this chain, he had fashioned a small charm from a piece of Artemis's arrow fletching. This particular arrow, however, was tremendously important to him – for it came from Artemis's last arrow. The last one she would ever shoot.<p>

At the young age of 15, Artemis had been killed on the team's most recent mission. And this time, it wasn't an exercise. It was real, and the team could see and feel every moment of it. That was three days ago, and today was her funeral.

Before the actual ceremony and burial, the team had arranged to meet at Mount Justice – all feeling it would be appropriate to arrive and be together. After a few minutes of silence, Wally had slipped out of the common room and disappeared. A few minutes after his leave, Robin followed suit and slipped out of the room himself.

During his walk along the empty corridors and hallways, that last thing on his mind was how badly his shoes might get scoffed up as his he continued to drag his feet in such a fashion. What was really pressing on his mind was the mere memory of Artemis death.

It was a cold night in the city of Niagara. Cheshire and a few nameless members of the Shadows were attempting to assassinate some scientist who was on her vacation time. The team didn't know why, but Batman had instructed them to stop her, so they did without question. It was in the middle of battle that Robin himself had just finished defeating his opponent. It was only a moment later that Artemis had pushed him down to the ground without any warning or context. The next thing Robin heard was a gun go off. The next thing he saw was Artemis's body, falling over the edge of the railing, and into the falls. At the sight of her fall, the Shadows vanished while the team was distracted, never to return for the rest of the evening. When it was clear, Kaldur safely made his way to the base of the falls, jumping into the cold water and conducting a search for her body. Robin remembered it being the longest hour of his life. Waiting in a terrified state for Kaldur to re-emerge.

And when he did, the team saw a sight that would haunt their dreams for the rest of their days. In his hands, he held the bloody, wet, un-hinged, lifeless – Artemis. She was one giant bruise with cracks, cuts, protruding bones, and gushing organs and blood. The sight caused M'Gann to vomit, and then cry insanely. Robin and Superboy also fell to the ground, with weak legs, in tears. Wally screamed his lungs out over her dead body, further drenching her in his salty tears. She was gone and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

As Robin continued his walk, he felt the tears returning to his eyes. It had been three days since the incident, and he personally felt as though things were getting worse as apposed to better. This being the first death of the team, Batman gave them as much time as they needed off knowing that all of them were suffering Artemis's death. But what was hurting Robin the most was the guilt that had swelled up inside him. If only he had moved faster or been more aware of his surroundings, Artemis would never have had to push him out of the way. If it weren't for him, she would be alive still.

Robin halted his trudge just as his feet were about to turn yet another corner. As if dealing with the death of a friend wasn't enough, he know had to live with a heart full of shame. Everyone (even Wally) had told him that he wasn't to blame. But that wasn't enough for the young acrobat. A child – only barely in his teen years – and he couldn't shake the feeling of the fault that was slowly expanding in his mind.

Robin leaned the back of his shoulder against the chilled wall of the corridor. In the end, it wasn't his fault. But as a young boy, it defiantly seemed that way. Letting his knee's give in, Robin felt his body slowly slide down the wall till his backside came into contact with the tiled floor. And there he sat. He sat still for a few moments before he buried his face deep into the palms of his rough hands. Robin had dealt with death before, and was used to the feeling of loosing someone close. But with every passing person that Robin held close to his heart, he could only feel bits of him deteriorating away with them. His mother, father, family, now Artemis - all gone. And there was nothing he could do – nothing he could have done – to save them. After a few more moments of heavy sighing, Robin peeled his face from his hands and gently wiped his nose. He had promised himself that he wasn't going to cry today. Not because he wasn't completely broken on the inside, but because of the pending idea that Batman would be displeased with him if he saw him tearing up. "I hate this," he murmured to himself. And for the first time in his young, hero life, it was true. He hated the feeling of guilt, the feeling of eternal sadness, and the feeling that one day – it would all just happen again. No one lives forever – and with all of the dangerous stuff he and the rest of the team do, everyone was going to die. Maybe not right now, or in the next few days, but all of them were on the accelerated path to being eternally doomed. And if it wasn't Robin, he would be left to deal with the guilt there after. He knew that he would move on eventually, but with the idea in his heart, he only felt yet another bit of his soul shred itself up.

Using the wall behind him as support, Robin picking himself up from the ground and continued to slump along the hallways. As he turned another corner, he saw the he was right in front of the spare bedrooms. These rooms were dedicated to Kaldur, Robin, Wally, and Artemis if they ever needed to stay in the mountain over night. Connor and M'Gann had their own, permanent rooms since they lived there. Robin remembered all of the nights where he and Wally would pull small pranks on Artemis. Or at least _try_ to pull pranks on Artemis. She was always too quick or too smart to fall into one of their plans. Robin always loved that about her. The way she could 'out-ninja' him, they way to could foil his own seeming bulletproof plans, her brains in general. Brains that got both him and the team out of many problems were now lost forever.

He sighed some and took a step forward. Ever so quietly, he approached the door the led to Artemis's room. Turning the knob ever so slowly, he carefully pressed on the wood door, pushing it open and letting the light from the hall filter into the dark room. But to his surprise, he wasn't alone. Sitting one the bed adjacent from the door was the young speedster. His suit was a very dark grey with a simple white shirt and tie that matched Robin's. His shoes were also black, but purchased from a run-down store at the mall. Around his left ring finger was a small silver ring. Attached to it was another piece of the arrows fletching. Every member of the team had one. Wally sat with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed and his feet planted on the floor. In his hands he clutched the upper half of Artemis's costume, his eyes fixed on the mask that was connected to the shirt. His eyes were sad and on the verge of tears. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something to the now ownerless mask – like it was itself a person – but couldn't find the right words. When the light from the hall shone on his face, Wally looked up to Robin, then back to the mask.

"I miss her, man," said Wally, he teeth refusing to be unclenched.

Before the end, Wally and Artemis were just on the verge of finally becoming close friends. They were almost there, just a few more nice words and one less argument. Yet deep in Wally's heart, he had always wanted more. It wasn't until they were becoming closer that he finally started to gather the courage to tell her how her felt. But as fate would have it, Artemis was taken from him before she ever knew how he felt. And it was that feeling of regret that killed Wally inside.

Robin propped himself up against the doorway to his room and nodded in agreement. "We all do," he reminded.

Wally stared at the mask a little longer. Then, he leaned forward and planted his face right where Artemis's should have been. A few stifled whimpers could be heard, followed by a very soft "Why?"

Robin crossed the room from the doorway to the bed and took a seat next to Wally. He didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arm around Wally's shoulders. He sat there, next to the sobbing Wally in silence. The half hug that Robin gave Wally was one of great importance. It was the unspoken bond between them that comforted the other in times of need. Their deep and trusted friendship was what helped them. This time, they needed it more then ever. One of the brothers joined by bond had lost a close friend. The other had lost their first love. But the hug did seem to work as moments later, Wally removed his face from the mask and set the uniform to the side. "She'd probably laugh at me if she saw me this way," he joked lightly.

Robin let out a single chuckle in agreement. "She'd probably beat us both for acting like a bunch of babies," he added. Wally repeated Robin's motion of understanding, but then returned to a solemn stare at the ground. Robin sighed again and stood from the bed. Extending his hand out to Wally, offering more than just physical support. "We should probably get back,"

Wally glanced at the hand and hesitated. He then scanned around the room with his teary eyes. He didn't want to leave it. It was strange but he felt some sort of connection to the room. It belonged to Artemis, and was therefore the last connection he had to her. He could come back to the room anytime he wanted, but he did not have the courage to depart from it just yet. However, the stronger part of him instructed for him to get off his ass and follow Robin out of the room. Taking the acrobat's hand, the speedster pulled himself from off the bed and straightened out his jacket. "You're right, we should,"

The ceremony was small to say the least. While both of the Justice League and the Young Justice team were at full attendance, Artemis's had no other family other than her mother. There were a couple of other families there as their children were friends with Artemis at her old school, and both Batman and Paula agreed that the list of attendees should be short. It was slightly overcast that day with just enough clouds in the sky to give the city of Gotham a grey aura. It was just the beginning of September and fall had started early. Golden and brown leaves from the bare trees lightly danced and swirled around in the light breeze. The graveyard itself also had a few stray petals from the flowers around the tombs fluttering about. M'Gann thought the site was almost beautiful – the way the leaves and flowers mixed together so nicely. In her heart, M'Gann felt that Artemis would have really enjoyed it – but she would never see it. The pastor stood with his hands resisting on the small gut of his stomach. He was a fairly elderly man with a horse voice – he also kept wheezing during the prayers.

M'Gann wept softly as the pastor spoke his holy words. While this was her first 'earth funeral', she thought she'd honor Artemis by wearing a tradition Martian funeral outfit. It was a long bronze dress with sleeves that draped down right to her wrists. The dress hung from her shoulder and started right around her neck, leaving her completely covered up. Over top of the dress was a mesh veil that lay right on her head, and ended at her feet. M'Gann didn't care that some of the other girls in the crowd were teasing her about her strange outfit. This was what was worn on Mars, and M'Gann was going to keep it that way for Artemis. M'Gann had also attached a piece of the arrow's fletching to a pair of silver studded earrings that she secretly swore she would never remove after this day.

Kaldur also wore a traditional outfit. As an Atlantean custom, Kaldur wore a pair of black spandex pants and navy blue spandex turtleneck. The turtleneck outlined where his tattoos would be with silver fabric. However, he paired his outfit with a human blazer in order to avoid any suspicion from the non-super guests. Around his neck hung another pieces of the arrow's fletching on a silver chain.

Superboy was dressed in human wear (courtesy of Robin). He sported a simple black suit and a black shirt to go with it. His dress shoes were also custom made, as his feet couldn't properly fit into anything at the shoes stores. For the part of the fletching that was given to him, he attached it to a silver armband that he wore around his left bicep.

But the mentalities of the team did not lay with what they were wearing. They laid with the sixth member of the team – the same one that was currently shut away in a casket.

Artemis had gone down, once again, sacrificing herself for the team. She put herself on the line so that Robin could be saved. No doubt she was the strongest of them all, willing to give up her life in an instant if it meant protecting her team. Indeed that was the mentality of any superhero, but at this young age, Artemis did it without hesitation, without question. She was a true warrior – one that, to the teams, would never be forgotten.

Wally had spent the whole ceremony with his eyes glued to the coffin. The pearl lilies and scarlet roses that were arranged on top of the casket made it all seemed so – fake. Artemis was under there, but out of sight. This made Wally feel worse. He wanted to see her just one last time. However, the way her body was completely ruined provoked her mother to keep the casket closed.

Her mother, Paula.

Paula sat in her chair only mere centimeters away from the coffin. The dress she wore was simple and black as to match her shoes. Over her small shoulders she wore a thick black shall to keep herself warm from the cool breeze. She sat still and calm, but her face said otherwise. The look in her eyes gave away her broken soul and damaged heart. The last decent person in her family was now gone and she was all alone. To Wally, she seemed at peace, but he knew better. She was lost and scared with no one to care for her in her fragile state. Of course Batman had offered her to be cared for by a home nurse whom he would pay for. Paula accepted but knew it would never be the same.

"Before we burry this young lady in the ground where she may rest with the lord, does anyone have a few words to say?" asked the pastor.

Small murmurs spread amongst the crowd as Oliver Queen stepped forward. Everyone was shocked that the former mayor/billionaire of Star City would want to say something about a middle class teenaged girl. Despite this, Oliver stepped next to the coffin and gently placed a hand on the cover. Paula didn't seem to notice him, as her eyes also remained on the casket in which he youngest daughter laid.

"I didn't know Artemis for very long," began Oliver. "And I only met her a few times around Star City," he passed for a moment to stifle back a tear. "But when I did know her, I knew her to be one of the strongest girls I have and will ever meet. She had the courage of the lion. And yet, a warm heart. She would have never admitted it, but she cared for each and every single person in her life," he paused again to hold back sob that was trying to escape from his throat. "From her mother, Paula, to all of her friends. She would have done anything for them, and took no shame or regret in her actions. Artemis may be gone now, but the memory of her bravery will stay in my heart for ever," Olivier got down on one knee and rested his head on top of the casket. "Thank you, Artemis, for the bravery that was stronger then you will ever know," he whispered.

The team was shocked at his beautiful about Artemis. Each word that Oliver Queen spoke hit them directly in the heart and comforted them. Particularly Robin. After hearing Oliver speak, he felt a small tear come to his eye. He could never forgive himself for Artemis's death, but Oliver was right. Artemis wouldn't have had it any other way. And for Robin – to be respected that much by a girl he had only known for less then a year – it meant the world to him that this young heroin would want to lay down her life to protect his.

And then it was time. It was time to lower the casket into the ground. It was time to say goodbye to Artemis forever. A group of men shuffled to the front of the crowd, and began lowering the coffin into the earth. As the coffin descending down the six foot tunnel path, Wally could feel his heart sinking with it. The pain to see her leave this world caused him more strife then anything else he could have remembered or imagined. And it wasn't just Wally.

The whole team felt their hearts rip within their chests. And Kaldur couldn't bear it. He couldn't help but feel as though he let down the team. As leader, everything that happened that night was because of him. It was his plan of attack that they followed, and then got Artemis killed. It was his job as leader to ensure the safety of all of his fellow teammates, and he failed them. Like Robin, he too bear the guilt of having caused Artemis's death. But unlike Robin, he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. He couldn't see himself ever moving on or getting over Artemis's death. Kaldur let the tears drip from his eyes and onto his cheeks. The guilt had already consumed his mind, and if he didn't shake it, he could be lost to it forever.

M'Gann used Connor as support for her weak legs. The sight of her first and only 'earth-sister' being lowered into the ground practically destroyed whatever was left of her peacefulness. Over the past few days, she had been continuously balling her eye's out, but today, she whaled in agony louder then ever before. To her, it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Artemis had to be taken for such a small and simple mission. It was nothing compared to what they did in the past. Yet as a result, Artemis was gone.

Connor reacted differently from everyone else. As he supported M'Gann, he felt different. When he knew he should have felt sadness, he felt fear. Fear because he couldn't _feel_ anything. Looking at the faces of his permanently damaged teammates, he noticed that he was perfectly fine. It was the same reaction as when he lost everyone in the training exercise, only this wasn't in his head – it was real. Artemis was really gone and their weren't any second chances. Yet he still felt the same peacefulness as before. For this, he was angry at himself. He wanted tear through his own skin and punish himself for it. But he new he couldn't, so he stood still, and kept his expression neutral as always.

Once the coffin hit the bottom of the six feet deep pit, the crowd began to disperse. First, the guests left and were followed by the Justice league. The Young Justice team lingered with Paula. But when she felt ready to leave, Kaldur, Connor, M'Gann, and Robin all accompanied her. Then, there was only Wally.

_Here Lies Artemis Crock_

_1996 – 2012_

_Beloved Daughter_

_Devoted Friend_

_Courageous Warrior_

"Crock, eh?" said Wally as he stared intently at the tombstone. "That's a stupid last name," he chuckled. But the joking didn't make it an easier on him. Seeing her last name for the first time on her tombstone killed him internally. Upon her death, he realized that he knew almost _nothing _about her. Her first name, age, and where she was from. That was it. And he even got her location wrong. He learned today that she wasn't from Star City, but Gotham. He didn't know what her favorite colour was, he didn't know if she liked animals, and, up until today, he didn't know her last name. But to him, the most important thing he didn't know was her feeling about him. Wally knew that he liked her, but he didn't know if she liked him back. And now he would never know.

Wally looked to his feet. He noticed a small stone resting between his feet. It was smooth on both side and shaped to look like a triangle. He used the tip of his shoe to kicked it to the side. "I miss you Arty," said Wally solemnly. "I know you hate it when I call you that. But there's not much you can do about it now," he said, forcing a giggle. But once again, it didn't work. The jokes Wally tried to make didn't help him. Artemis's death still hurt. "I don't know if you knew this. But we were going to get married someday," Wally blinked a few tears back. "And then you could have had a better last name. Artemis West. Had a ring to it, eh?" Wally sniffed as more tears streamed from his watery eyes.

Then Wally felt something. Something welling up inside of his stomach. It was four words. Four words he had always wanted to say to her before she died. The words continued to well-up, and began to climb up his throat to the tip of his voice-box. The words then rolled off the tip of his tongue and fell out of his mouth without thinking. "I love you, Artemis" he whispered. Any other day, and Wally would have tried to hold the words back. But today, as he stood opposite of Artemis's tombstone, staring down upon her grave, he let the words escape from his lips freely. And when they did, he hated himself a second later. If only he had half the courage of Artemis, he would have told them to her when she was alive. But his stupid teenaged male ego got in the way, and now, it was too late. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier," he said in broken words. Wally's face began to turn the colour of his hair as more tears spilled from his eyes. "This isn't fair… it isn't fair!" Wally's voice began to elevate in rage. His lower body was starting to give in and let his body drop to the ground. The sound of the sobs increased as he cried out to the heavens. In all honesty, he would have given anything to have Artemis back. But he knew it didn't work that way. So all he could do was cry. Cry out his sorrows into the world and hope that somehow, Artemis could hear them. Then, when they were reunited in the afterlife, they could be together once more – if such a thing existed. For Wally was still a man of science, but in this crucial state, he believed in anything.

He continued to cry into the cold wind, when he felt something on his shoulder. Cocking his head to the left and over his shoulder, he saw it was a hand. A hand that belonged to Kaldur. Looking further beyond Kaldur, he noticed the rest of the still living team standing not to far behind. "Wally, we must return to the cave,"

Wally looked back to the grave. He could hear the obvious sadness in Kaldur voice. This was hard for everyone, but Wally couldn't leave the grave just yet. "Artemis would want for us to re-group. We must respect and honor her memory,"

Wally looked to the tombstone once more. Then, he slowly turned on his heels and followed the rest of the team back to the mountain. As he departed from the grave yard, he secretly made a promise to himself that day that he was always came back and visit her. "Till next time, Arty," he said under his breath.

Meanwhile, hiding only a few meters away stood a figure. Being hidden by the bare branches and shadows of a large oak tree, the figure stood and watched the young teenagers vacate the grave yard. As the wind blew stronger, strands of the newly dyed bright orange hair whipped in front of the figures grey eyes. The hair had also been cut to about shoulder length, as the figure couldn't stop fidgeting with the ends. With a black trench coat covering the slender outline of the figure and dark sunglasses covering its grey eyes, it bit the bottom of its lip to keep from crying. "I love you too, Wally," said the figure. "And I'm sorry it has to be this way," With that, the figure pulled the hood of the coat over its head and disappeared into the city streets. Only hoping that it's overall plan would work out.

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><p><strong>Who could this mystery figure be? Find out soon!<strong>

**Also, REIVEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm glad everyone liked the first chapter :). I only hope that I met the standards with this one :S. Hope you like it!**

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><p>Two Weeks Later<p>

It was a gorgeous, sunny day in Central City. Other than the cold wind, the students of Keystone High school were thoroughly enjoying the last bit of sun before the season of fall had fully set in. Over the past month, they had both cold and warm days, and today was probably going to be the last warm day of the year.

The junior class was especially giddy with excitement. Today was the first day that they had officially broken free of their sophomore title and were just one step away from being seniors. However, the excitement was turned to undivided attention as their first period classes began.

All except for Wally. Although school had started a week ago, today was Wally first day back. He was exempt from attendance, as his parents had informed the school that he had lost a friend that summer. Which resulted in a big pity party from the whole school. That's how Wally saw it anyway. Kids who had never talked to him in his life we coming up and giving him big hugs. He hated it – he didn't need their pity.

He needed Artemis back.

It had been two weeks and the pain from her death hadn't gone away, it only intensified. Everything he saw reminded him of Artemis. The dark green colour of the chalkboard to match her uniform, the way a girl in the front row wore her hair similar to that of the blonde archer, the fact that a kid had worn a 'Baywatch' shirt that symbolized the first nickname she had ever given Wally, everything. It pained him. It pained him to see bits of her everywhere.

By now, he had gotten to the point where he could reframe from crying in public, and even that was testy. He had spent the beginning of the class in the bathroom dabbing away at a few stray tears. The tears didn't stop him from going to class - even though his whole body was telling him to. It told him to go back home and sulk in his room. But he only knew that his parents would be pissed if he went home, so he, regrettably, went to class.

As his English teacher lectured the rest of the class on the themes of _Hamlet_, Wally was paying more attention to the fly on his desk. It was a small housefly that had flown into the room threw the open window and rested on Wally's copy of the Danish play. The fly wasn't scared of him, and just spent the better half of the period rubbing its legs together. While the fly was of no importance to him, it helped him keep his mind of off things. Wally found that if he listened to the teacher talk, he might say something that would remind him of Artemis. So Wally just kept his eyes on the fly. Lucky for him, the teacher didn't care. All of the staff were told about Wally's situation, so they chose to let him be. He was a smart kid anyway – they knew he would catch-up when he was ready.

Just as the teacher began to talk about Hamlet's soliloquy's, there was a soft knock on the door. The fly, being alarmed by the sound, hopped off of Wally's desk and flew straight out of the window. Wally watched as the small, scared fly flew from the school and out into the world where it be free and alone. Wally sneered at it "Lucky," he thought.

The teacher, almost completely baffled by the interruption, shuffled quickly to the entrance of the classroom. Opening the thin door, the empty space presented a young boy. He looked to be both Wally's age, height, and build, and had many similar features to the redhead as well. But, there were still few very big differences. Instead of having a head of fiery red hair, the boy had short blonde locks poking out from the top of his scalp. His eyes were also a brilliant sapphire blue as apposed to a remarkable emerald green. He was Caucasian with only slightly darker skin than Wally, and presented to be a fairly strong young boy.

"Um, hi," said the boy. His voice was smooth and deep, also much like Wally's. "I'm new here – I was told I was in this class?" he asked. He then handed the teacher a small transcript, which the teacher quickly scanned over with puzzled eyes.

"I see. Class, we have a new student. I except all of you to give him a proper Keystone welcome," said the teacher, eyeing the students with negative reputations. The class muttered their agreements as the teacher scanned the room with his eyes once more, looking for an empty seat. The only empty seat in the class was the one next to Wally. Since Wally had chosen a seat in the back corner, there was only one seat next to him on his right. "Why don't you take a seat next to Wally over there?" suggested the teacher.

Everyone's eyes went wide. They were all fully aware of Wally's state, and were surprised to see the teacher try to include him into everyday activity. Wally, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed by it. He just continued to stare at the part of his desk where the fly had been, completely lost in his own world. The boy shrugged and walked to the empty seat neutrally. He also didn't seem to notice that surprised faces of his new peers and he placed his stuff on the vacant desk. He smiled at Wally, but Wally didn't respond. He just kept staring at his desk. When the boy was seated, the teacher nodded and returned to the lecture. "Alright, let's continue where we left off…," said the teacher. Wally took this as his cue to let his mind drift off again, before it returned to thinking about … _her_. He knew that if he started to think about Artemis again, he would have to run as fast as he could to the bathroom.

He was about to start contemplating what kind of wood the desk was made out of when…

"So, is this one of those schools were all of the kids pay attention? Even the ones at the back?" joked the boy in a low whisper as to not be heard by the teacher. Wally slowly glanced over at the boy. There he was, grinning back at him. Had this been any other day, Wally would have responded with an other joke or polite agreement. But not today. Today was probably the hardest day of his life and he needed to just get through it. So, instead of being a welcoming student, Wally just turned his head back to his desk. "O-kay. Not much of a talker, huh?" asked the boy. His smile became uneasy with each passing moment that Wally didn't respond. "That's cool. I here girls love the mysterious types," he said with a wink.

Wally shut his eyes for a brief moment. The girl he loved would probably have gone for that. That's why she liked Connor when he first joined the team.

Thinking that thought over, Wally felt as though his heart had been punched. He had never been more jealous of Connor in his life at this point. Sure, a little when M'Gann chose him over Wally, but not anymore then right now.

And then a thought passed over Wally. A thought that he had tired to push out of his head and was now passing over him. What if Artemis had never like him? That thought forced him to clenched his fist so hard that his nails began to pierce the skin on the palm of his hand. It was devastating to him to think that the girl he loved never loved him back, and that she was now dead. It hurt him to think that way, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was true or not.

Then, in his sad state, the teacher mad it worse…

"So when Hamlet says, 'The slings and arrows of outrages fortune,'…"

Arrows? Oh God.

"Can I go to the washroom?"

The class snapped their heads in Wally's direction. All of their expressions gapping at him with surprise. He hadn't said a thing all day, and now, this outburst. Even the teacher was caught off guard. So off guard that he didn't have time to respond as Wally was already pacing out of the classroom, leaving the occupants of the room dumbfounded and confused. But he didn't care about them, he needed to get to the washroom. He needed to be alone.

Upon arriving to the washroom, he pushed the door open with such a great force that it swung around and slammed against the wall on the other side. Another boy saw this and quickly finished washing his hands before scampering out of the bathroom. Wally sneered at the boy as he left the room, then charged into one of the toilet stalls. He lazily locked the door, sat on the stall, and began to weep.

"… girls love that…,"

"… slings and arrows…,"

All reminded him of Artemis. The blonde archer who had captured his heart, and took it to the grave with her. He was dead inside, along with the girl her loved. To him, life was meaningless now. He felt that all that he had was gone. Gone into the ground, six-feet under, and never coming back. The only reason he saw to keep living was the fact that he knew she would kick his ass in the afterlife for giving up.

His weeps slowed with that thought. Thinking more on it, Artemis would have taunted him for the rest of his life if she ever caught him crying. "Need a tissue, Kid Baby?" she would probably say. Wally's eyes began to dry the more he thought about Artemis's reaction. "God, you such a brat," she would say. "And so selfish. Can't think of how others would feel, can you?" Wally thought more on this. He (or she) was right. Wally couldn't die. He had seen the devastation one death caused, and didn't want to repeat it on his friends, or his family for that matter. He wiped his eyes and sighed – he would just have to live the rest of his days suffering.

Standing from the toilet, he carefully unlocked the door to the stall and exited it warily. Crossing the room to the sinks, he twisted the cold-water tape and splashed from on his face, taking an extra moment to wipe his eyes. He glanced up at his reflection in the mirror. The cold water was toning down the redness of his face from the weeping, but his eyes still looked sad – as if the reflected his wrecked soul to the rest of the world. He grabbed a paper towel and rubbed his on his face, feeling the harshness of the paper on his soft skin. Disregarding the towel in a waste bin, Wally exited the bathroom and slowly sauntered back to his classroom.

Trying to prolong the journey as long as possible, Wally walked at a slow pace. He hated being at school – not for the learning or the people there – but that fact the _he_ had to be there, and not sulking in his room like he wanted to. Wally didn't want to deal with anyone, or be talked at by someone. He didn't need to hear how brave he was being or how strong he was for dealing with everything. Not from the school's principal, not from another student, not from anyone. He. Just. Wanted. To. Be. Alone.

Lucky for him, class had ended right as he re-entered the classroom. The words "Test next Tuesday" were written on the board, and all of the students were making a mad dash to collect their belongings and exit the class. Wally dodged the oncoming students and quickly grabbed his owns things before following the mob of desperately escaping students.

Once back in the hallway, Wally began to try and make his way to the art room. It was almost impossible to move around classes, as the halls were full of other students pushing and pulling themselves around in hopes of making it to their own classes on time. Unfortunately for Wally, the art room was on the other side of the school, so he was always inevitably late for class. Fortunately, however, the teacher was one of those 'progressive' teachers. She felt as though students should come and go as they please, for Artists should always do what their hearts tell them. Because of this, most kids would skip her class, and just make up some lie about having an artistic vision. Wally never skipped class though, it was the only time of day where he could sit in a classroom and not be bothered. Students could talk to each other and move about as they pleased since all they did in that class was draw. This caused all of the students to be distracted, and just leave Wally alone.

"Excuse me," Wally turned to see the new boy standing right behind him. In his hands was a small school schedule. "I know you're not a talker, but you're the only person whose attention I can get," he tried to joke. Wally didn't looked amused and the kid chuckled nervously. "Can you tell me where the art room is?" he asked quietly.

Wally raised an eyebrow at him. "You have art next?" he asked in more of a statement format. The boy nodded. "I do to. Just – follow me," Wally grunted as he but past a few chatting girls. The girls looked annoyed at the interruption, but then let their expression go sad as they recognized the boy to be Wally. Wally frowned at this. _"Wally the Sob Story. That's me! Don't let him see how your truly feel, just be sad at him," _he thought angrily and sarcastically.

"So, is this your first year here?" asked the boy, trying to start up a conversation.

"No,"

"That's cool," An awkward pause fell between the two teenagers as they walked along the halls of the school. Wally didn't want to try to make conversation. But the boy felt otherwise. "What do you have next?"

"Chemistry,"

"Me too!" cheered the boy. Wally stopped. He turned to the boy and gestured for him to give him his school schedule. The boy happily obliged and offer the wrinkled piece of paper to the redhead. Wally looked it over quickly with his emerald eyes and cocked his eyebrow in confusion. They had all of the same classes together. Nothing was different between their two schedules. "That's weird," said Wally out loud, more to himself.

"What is?" asked the boy.

Wally gave him a skeptical glare as he handed the paper back to the boy. "We have all of the same classes," he explained.

The boy shot Wally a puzzled look, the glanced over the schedule with his own eyes. "Hun. Weird," he noted. The boy shrugged and shoved the piece of paper into the front pocket of his dark blur jeans. The two boys then continued their march to the art room. They were only a minute away when the boy started another conversation. "Look, I don't mean to be … invasive," he explained. "But is something wrong?"

Wally sighed. "No," he lied. Everything was bothering him, but the last thing he needed was for another student to be shooting him apologetic looks every time he turned a corner.

"If you say so," said the boy half-heartedly. Wally could tell that he knew he was lying. But he held his ground. He wasn't going to tell this kid anything as along as he could avoid it. He just needed to get the kids mind off it.

"So … did you just move here, or something?" asked Wally.

The boy smiled at Wally's attempts to make conversation. "Yeah. I moved in with my aunt," he explained.

"Where are you parents?" asked Wally.

They boy's smile softened greatly. When Wally turned to face him, he noticed the same sad look that he had seen on himself in the bathroom forming in the sapphire eyes of the other boy. There was something more to the simple story that the boy was telling. "Tell you what," said the boy after a pause. "When you ready to tell me the real reason why you're moping, I'll tell you why I moved in with my aunt. Deal?"

Wally cocked an eyebrow at the boy. Then, for the first time in weeks, he cracked a tiny smile. Against the originally thoughts Wally had on this boy, he was actually starting to like him. He was quick on his feet and also possibly understood the pain that Wally was going through. "Touché," chuckled Wally as he opened the big wooden doors to the art room. Finding a couple of seats at the back, they plopped down beside each other, and in front of two large sheets of white drawing paper. Wally looked over to the boy again. Despite that hordes of people who were trying to 'console' him, Wally didn't have a lot of friends at his school. He never had time to make any from all the missions, and never found anyone with the same interests as him. And since chemistry was optional that year, it showed that the other boy must love science as much as he did. So, for the first time in his 'high school career', Wally extended his hand forward in friendship. "I'm Wally West, by the way,"

The boy smiled and grabbed Wally's hand without a second thought to shake it. "Hunter," he replied "Hunter Zolomon"

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><p><strong>Some of you true DC fans might recognize a few... things. If you did, I'm sorry about messing with back stories again. Hope you can find it somewhere in you're heart to forgive me!<strong>

**As for the rest of you, sorry if this chapter was a little dull. There was just some info I wanted to get across this chpater before continuing the story. **

**But I do hope you liked it... and that you'll REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Gah! My deepest apologies for not up-dating sooner. I've been really busy with other things, but now, I'm finally back! This next chapter was written a little differently, and it a little short, but I still hope you like it.**

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><p>You're probably wondering a few things right now.<p>

Perhaps why I died my hair, or why I left the team. But the biggest question on your mind is probably how the hell I survived that fall.

Wanna know a secret? I didn't actually fall.

After I toppled over the railing, I shot an arrow over a pile of rock that created a jelly like substance breaking my descent. The team didn't see this because the mist of the falls was very thick that day, and the jelly stuff washed-away before they could find any trace of it.

As for the gunshot, Cheshire fired it to make things look more convincing. The bullet actually just grazed my shoulder. At least a got a pretty cool scar out of it.

And the body – a dummy. A very realistic rubber dummy.

I know; it sounds pretty much impossible that the Justice League didn't figure it out. In all honesty, I was sure that they would. But when you're looped in with the League of Shadows, you have resources to make anything look believable.

Yes, I am Artemis Crock, and yes, I am working with the League of Shadows.

You probably want to kill me now, don't you? I don't blame you. I kinda hate myself for it. But I have my reasons and it's really none of your business.

But, I'll explain it to you anyway.

Let me start from the beginning.

My father taught me everything I know. By the time I was three, I could shoot darts with prefect aim. But my dad is a lot like the devil: for everything he taught me, I owed a debt to him.

It started when he had me commit minor crimes. He called them it 'small runs'. He made me steal things – sending me on a guilt trip every time I didn't oblige. "I taught you everything I know, blah, blah, blah," he would say. And in being a young girl, I felt that I owed him.

Then, the 'small runs' turned into serious crimes. He'd ask me to steal government property like files or artillery. Not bad for a pre-teen, eh?

But the final straw came when he asked me to start killing off members of the Justice League.

I guess I had known all along in my heart that what I was doing was wrong. But he was my father – I couldn't say no. So when I did … boy did I get it.

He started going on a rampage, hurting my mother, civilians, and myself. I was able to fend him off sometimes, but he was always much stronger then me.

Then one day, he disappeared.

Actually, that was the day before Batman and Green Arrow asked me to the join the team. When they did, I felt free. I was finally able to use my abilities for good. I was making new friends, traveling, and living a simple life with my mother.

However, all good things must come to an end.

After a while, it felt like every other mission the team and I went on, he was always there. Running around in the shadows, or even conducting the crime. And in one-way or another, he would hurt the team.

Tortured M'Gann, dehydrated Kaldur, knocked out Superboy, severely injured Robin, and almost killed Wally.

And the worst part was, he was doing it on purpose. He knew I had joined the team, and wasn't going to let up. He never even told me – I just knew.

I also know what he is capable of. And how it doesn't matter how strong my team _was_, he was going to break them. Slowly, but surely.

And only I can stop him. For it is I who knows his tricks, his actions, his weaknesses, everything.

I knew what I had to do. I had to bring him down. To do this, I would have to work from the inside, gain his trust. It would be the best way to track him down, and then, stop him. But I couldn't let the team intervene – I couldn't do that without telling them everything about my past, my relation to Sportsmaster and Cheshire, who I am.

So I had to fake my death. It was the only way out without suspicion. I just needed some help.

I was able to contact Jade and told her that I wanted to join her side. I wanted to be like her and fight along side her. She told me she had never been prouder of me in her life.

I was able to convince her that I should fake my death. I told her that I wanted to start my new life with a clean slate with no known ties to the Justice League. She agreed.

I don't know why it was so easy to convince Jade that I wanted to cross over. I fear every day that she secretly knows I was lying, and is using it to her advantage. But nonetheless, I needed her help.

She brought me right to the feet of Ra's al Ghul – her 'master' so to speak. She begged and pleaded and he finally allowed for me to join their League. He also knew the perfect way for me to stage me death.

So that brings us to the incident at the falls. I had my arrow ready, and the body was already planted in the mouth of the river. Jade and I decided that she would shoot at me, causing me to go over. What I didn't count on, was M'Gann.

She had seen the gun, and elevated it out of Jade's hands a split second after Jade had fired the bullet. This caused the bullet to change course – it was no loner coming at me, it was going for Robin.

It's amazing how much time can slow down when you see something bad about to happen. It was almost as if I could catch the bullet in mid air. But I only had time to react rationally. I used my hands to push Robin out of the way, just in time for it to graze my shoulder. When I felt it scar my skin, I knew it was time.

The sensation of falling was one I had experienced many times. Dad had me always jumping off big heights with less then a good chance of surviving. The man may be a tyrant, but at least his lessons were useful.

When the 'mission' was over, I was once again brought to Ra's al Ghul. He admired my strong soul. Little did he know, I was (and still am) actually hurting on the inside. I miss my friends, my mom, everyone I care about. Even though I'm still alive, I feel as though I've lost everything. But that was a weakness I couldn't show. Instead, I tried to stay as strong as I could.

That night, he sat me down and looked me over. A small smile was cracked onto his face. "Strange," he said "I already have a position for you,"

"What, my master?" I asked. Trying not to gag at the term 'master'.

He turned his back to me for a moment. "You will lead a new operative team that will act as a small unit to confiscate necessary tools for the Injustice League-"

"Injustice League?" I remember asking.

He nodded, displeased at my outburst. "The Injustice League acts as … a cover, so to speak. They protect the world from seeing the true genius of _our_ plans. We need to make sure they keep operating, or the world might discover us," he explained. "You, and a few other young operatives will form a team to assist the Injustice League, therefore covering the Shadows that do all the real work,"

"But, master," I gagged again. "I surely am not ready to _lead_ this team," I pleaded. I knew that if he placed me in charge, I would have to make those calls that kill people everyday. I would _have_ to be evil.

"You are the most experienced, and the most trained. You also have inside info that could benefit us…," his eyebrow raises and my heart begins to cry. I fear that he will force all of the Justice League's secrets out of me. I remember thinking "_What have I done_?" over and over again. "However, I will not ask for you to disclose these secrets,"

I blinked, showing my surprise. "Why?"

"There is nothing you could possibly know that we don't already. And secret identities are no good to us. We prefer to not get the Justice League involved. If we exposed them, it would not help our case," I remember the small sighing sound that I made in relief. I remember having to keep it as a small sound, or he would change his mind on me. "Tomorrow morning, you will meet your new teammates,"

And so here I am. On a private jet to go assemble this team. Across from me sits Count Vertigo and beside me, Jade. Since he is both the leader of the Injustice league and commander of this new Young Injustice League, he is introducing me as his apprentice. Jade is only tagging along to see me off. It was already freaky being in the same room as Ra's al Ghul, now being with Count Vertigo is seriously creeping me out. This whole thing is scary, but I know I must do it to find me dad. And to do that, I must listen and follow the orders of Ra's al Ghul. Right now, they involve me going God knows where doing God knows what in the name of evil. It's sickening, but it's a necessity. I don't know who will be there, or even where I'm going. My only thought is the hope that this plan will work out and that I find and stop my dad.

It must…

It has to…

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><p><strong>Okay, so it was really hard for me to write in 1st person, so I hope it's okay. Also, I know that chapter wasn't very... eventful, but I needed this section to explain some things, so I hope no one it too displeased.<strong>

**As for the Young Injustice League, well... I'm having some trouble...**

**When I began this story, it was going to be comprised of (I hate ruining surprises, but I need everyone's help) Mammoth, Shimmer, the Terror Twins, Icicle Jr., and... one other (you probably already guess who, just don't ruin the surprise for anyone else) with Artemis as the leader. But I'm starting to have second thoughts as technically most of the them are 18+, so they aren't really 'young'. Also, I feel that the Young Injustice league should be comprised of apprentices or protégée's of the Injustice League. I tried doing research to find out if any of them had **protégée's in any of the comic books, but I only found a couple - not enough to make a full team out of. ****

**This is where you come in. ****What should I do? Should I;**

**- Use my original team?**

**- Create a group of OC's?**

**- Let you guys send in applications for OC's that would be outlined in the next chapter?**

**Please review this chapter and let me know what you think I should do. Sorry about all this confusion and I hope you can forgive me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**First, a big shout out to everyone who helped me with the Young Injustice League. Next time, I'll be more prepared before I start a story. Second, this is just a short little chapter to keep you occupied while I work on the next one, so sorry bout the length. The next one will be better! Lastly, I know it's long past but happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you enjoy this next bit!**

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><p>To say the least, therapy wasn't going well for Black Canary. It had been a few weeks since the funeral and she was getting absolutely nowhere with the young heroes. Not like she was expecting anything different. She knew that their sprits would be crushed – possibly beyond repair.<p>

And it was hard enough to try to help the teens as she was experiencing similar feelings. Being an older hero, she had seen death in every shape and form, but not in the form of a young child – especially one she had watched grow and mature into a young woman. Dinah wept everyday thinking about Artemis. How young she was, how incredible she could be. Artemis was a strong spirit, and fought till her death. Dinah herself couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole situation. She had never thought about it till now, but it had hit her how young this team was and how much of their lives they had in front of them. She hated the idea of putting such young and innocent youths in harms way, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

So Dinah had a job to do – she had to put them all back on track. Which – she couldn't help but feel – was going to be impossible. Sure, they would learn to cope, but deep down, Dinah knew they could never get over it. Not now, not ever.

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><p>M'Gann's sessions were the worst. The second she stepped into the office, she would collapse on to the floor in tears. Whaling until their session was over. Dinah would just cradle the young Martian in her arms and try to make sense of what she was saying. Between cries, Dinah could hear phrases such as "Why?" and "Artemis!". It broke Dinah's heart to hear this – especially from M'Gann. Being a Martian in a human world, M'Gann was not use to this idea of loss. Particularly since it manifested itself in her closest friend. So the green girl cried for an hour straight till it was time to go. Even though weeks had passed, the crying had not changed. It was still as powerful as the day the Martian watched the body go into the ground.<p>

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><p>Kaldur was usually next. Sitting in the chair adjacent to Dinah's, he would lean forward on his knees and stare intently to the ground. Being one of the more mature members of the group, he was able to dissect his own problems and explain them to Dinah in a way that was understandable.<p>

"It was all my fault," he said, still keeping his dark eyes glued to the floor.

"Don't say that," Dinah spoke harshly – only because she knew that a soft comforting voice would sound convinced. No one could blame Kaldur for what happened that night, but he was the only one who saw the fault in his actions.

Kaldur closed his eyes. Probably to hold back the tears. "But it is true. It was I who instructed the team. I was the one who told Artemis to go after Cheshire. If I had planned it differently-"

"The same thing would have happened," it hurt Dinah to say that, but it needed to be done. "You couldn't have planned for Cheshire to have a gun. She would have fired it either way,"

Kaldur plunged his face deep into his hands. "But as leader, I should be prepared for surprises like that. If I had thought-"

"Kaldur, listen to me," Dinah once again spoke in a firm voice. "You have never made a bad decision. You think thoroughly on every mission. What happened was not something you could have planned for. What happened, happened. And as leader, it must be you who is ready to move on,"

There was silence for a moment as Kaldur slowly pulled his face away from his webbed hands. "Then I am not fit to be leader," he said silently. His dark eyes slowly darted up to meet Dinah's. "For I cannot see myself moving one from the memories and disasters of this mission,"

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><p>Sessions with Robin were probably the hardest. He never spoke clearly. All of his sentences were mashed together, not meaning anything. Dinah could never figure out why, but every time he spoke it only confused her further. That is, when she got him to speak. Usually, Robin wouldn't say a word for the first 45 minutes of the hour. Then, for the last 15 minutes, he wouldn't say anything useful.<p>

"Robin," Dinah had been trying to get him to talk, but as usual, nothing came out. "Robin, you-"

"4 seconds,"45 minutes into the session, as per usual.

Dinah squinted at him. "I'm sorry?" she asked.

Robin was also one to keep his eyes locked to the ground. "4 seconds. That's how long I took to look back at the assassin I was fighting," Robin looked to Dinah, his sunglasses covering the confused yet angry expression of his eyes. "Do you know what you can do in 4 seconds?" he asked.

Dinah gave him another puzzled expression. "What do you mean-?"

"You can say the entire alphabet in 4 seconds,"

"Robin."

"You can tie a shoelace in 4 seconds,"

"Robin-"

"You can scrape all of the cheese off a slice of pizza in 4 seconds,"

"Robin!"

Robin stopped his rant, and turned his head slightly at the sound of her outburst. "You can turn around and dodge a bullet so your best friend doesn't have to take it for you in 4 seconds,"

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><p>"So we're not going to talk about it?" asked Dinah as she peered upon the young clone in front of her. Unlike the others, Superboy would not stare intently at the ground. Instead, he looked right back at her, challenging her analyzing gaze with his own. And unlike most people – with their eyes being the windows to their souls – Dinah could not see past the pale blue eyes that stared back at her. Very slowly, Superboy shook his head 'no'.<p>

Then Dinah thought for a moment. "_There must be a reason to all of this concealment_," Using her elbows to lean forward on her knees, she brought her voice down to a slight whisper. "Are you feeling the same way you did after the training exercise?" She secretly hoped it wasn't true, but what Superboy did next confirmed her theory.

He blinked, then, squeezing his fists together, he dropped his head. "I'm a fucking disgrace of a human being," Dinah took the time to process Superboy's first curse word. That fact that he had said it now only proved as evidence that he was extremely angry with himself. "My friend is dead – for real this time – and everyone around me is… in pain. Why can't I feel like that?" he asked innocently, looking back into Dinah's eyes for the answer.

But the answer to her was unknown. For, much like the rest of the Justice League, she didn't understand Superboy as a person yet. Sure, she treated him like any other member of the team, but in being a scientific creation, the whole League felt weary of him. But Dinah didn't let that thought fade her mind. She knew that right now, it was her job to help this boy. "You are not a disgrace of a human being-"

"Because I'm not technically a human being, right?" Superboy's voice grew with rage and his knees began to stiffen up.

"No, Superboy, that's not what I meant-"

"But you were thinking it, weren't you? Go on, say it! I can't feel anything because I'm only a clone, and I'll always be just a clone!" he challenged as she stood from the chair, tearing bits of the green cloth with his fingertips as he arose.

Dinah hesitated with the answer, but felt horribly guilty afterwards as Superboy bolted at full speed from the room. No explanation, he just ran. "Superboy!" called Dinah. But it was no use. He was already set on running. Where? Only he knew. Dinah hated herself for answering him in such a way. Or, not answering for that matter. "Why would I do that?" she thought, mentally punishing herself. "It's my responsibility as their trainer-" she shook her head and rested back in her chair. One more to go, and she couldn't loose it now.

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><p>Wally was usually the last teammate that she met with. And, just like the rest, he was tough to get through. Dinah could easily spot that he was making his way slowly through the steps of grief. As for the moment, he was stuck in the stage of depression. He was isolated and was followed by a looming cloud of melancholy everywhere he went. He hated the world, but mostly, himself. And he hated how Artemis was so forcefully dragged out of his life.<p>

"Wally. I know that you felt a certain… special attachment to Artemis,"

Unlike the others (except for M'Gann) Dinah sat closer to Wally. Close enough that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders and console him like the young child he was at heart.

Wally rested his head on his knuckles. His eyes were squinted and his brow furrowed. However, there was an obvious hint of sadness to his otherwise angry expression. "This isn't fair," he mumbled. His voice was cracking – probably from trying to hide tears. Dinah detected this and nodded with full understanding.

"It never is," she confirmed. "But what is important is that-"

"We move on!" Wally nudged her arm off and gathered the rest of the body to the opposite side of his chair. "I've heard it all before and… well… I just can't do it! I won't accept that she's gone and you can't help me!" Tears pooled in his eyes and his voice began to elevate. It was true – he felt as though no one could help him, and that he wasn't even looking for help. He just wanted to be left alone with his grief and with the few precious memories of Artemis he had.

"I wasn't going to say that,"

Wally wiped the immature tears from his eyes and glanced in her direction with puzzlement. Dinah – without warning – pulled the young boy into a warm embrace. "I was going to say that it is important that we remember her, and share our feelings. You're in a team now, and teams stick together,"

When their hug broke, Dinah placed her hands on his shoulders. "You're a strong boy Wally, but I know you'll have a hard time getting through this. I understand that – but you need to reach out to your team. If anything, they'll help you,"

Wally nodded and sniffled. However, he still felt horrible. And even though what Dinah had said was both true and comforting, he knew that his feelings probably won't change for a long time, no matter who he would or could talk to. Come to think of it, he didn't really want to talk to anyone anymore. He only wanted to talk to Artemis – but she was dead and buried – end of story.

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><p><strong>Or is she? Well... you all know.<strong>

**Anyway, I should probably say this: The whole '4 seconds' thing was actually based off a scene from an old TV show. **_**21 Jump Street**_**. No, not the new movie, the TV series from the 80's or something. It's actually really good, although it more drama, less comedy. But this was the show that started Johnny Depp's career, so yeah - worth checking out.**

**Anyway, REVIEW TIME!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Erm... quick apology about chapter four. My account told me it wasn't uploading so I had to try over and over. Anyway, it seems that most of my readers have suggested that I stick with my original team, so I'll do just that. To all others who wanted one of the other options (as seen in chapter 3, I think) then I'm very sorry, and I hope you keep reading. If you wanted to submit an OC, why not write story about them :)? I know I'd sure like to read it!**

**As for the team itself, I'm strictly basing them off how they are portrayed in the show. I know they appear in many different comics but... I haven't read them. And since they aren't really developed in the show, I'm kind of recreating them in my own way. I may use some of the DC comics as my guide, but so be it. Whelp, enjoy!**

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><p>I've never hated one person more then I've hated Tuppence Terror. She whines, she complains, she challenges other, then stands behind her brother, having him fight her battles for him. And when he takes care of them, she stands above all – triumphant. Yes, she uses her powers to prove a point, but – being the little priss that she is – uses her brother so she can avoid breaking her nail. "I'll tell y'all one thing," she says as she rubs a sore part of her shoulder. "It's gettin' real hard trying to remember why I signed up for this," Whining again – go figure.<p>

And you wanna know the worst part? I'm stuck with her until God knows when.

She was one of the operatives that were selected to be apart of this Young Injustice Team along with her brother. Now I have to deal with both of these meatheads.

However, I have to count myself as lucky as the other members of the team are somewhat manageable.

Shimmer and Mammoth are also on this team. Both of them rarely talk and usually only listen to orders. They must have also been a packaged deal because I really can't see the usefulness of Shimmer. She's a good fighter, but that's her only skill. Robin is also a good fighter, but he has access to weapons and explosives. But why should I question Shimmer's presence? If it means one up for the Justice League, then I'll just keep my mouth shut.

The last member is Icicle Jr. He also listens to orders, but is annoying in his own way. Ever since I was announced as leader here, he's been trying to flirt with me. Sly pick-up lines in the hall, a wiggling eyebrow here or there, you name it. Now I know how M'Gann must have felt with Wally.

Oh, speaking of which, I've found out where 'here' is. The chopper that I was in brought me to this small, newly-created and abandoned island near Hawaii. Poison Ivy spruced the place up a bit with her deadly plants, and Wotan used his magic to cover the whole island in a cloaking dome. Even if anyone found us, no one gets in, no one gets out.

Which mean for me, I'm trapped here.

I have no access to either my sister or my dad, which was the only reason why I got myself into this whole mess. But if I complain, or drop the plan now, the Shadows will find out and come after me. My only hope is that I grin and bear it till I can find my father.

The island is a pretty simple set up. There are three main buildings. The first building is located at the north of the island. That's where we train. And when I say train, I mean train_. _For 16 hours a day, we go for only one break at lunch. And let me tell you, it's some of the hardest training I've done. Black Canary taught me a lot, but here, I feel like everyday will be my last. Black Adam trains us, and he never lets up or gives us an easy or fun workout.

And if we fail an exercise, we're a punished – physically. Weather it's being beat up by another member of the team, or having to spend a day in the isolation room, said failure is always broken. I've even seen Mammoth cry from the torture he is put through, and secretly, it breaks my heart.

That's why I ensure that I succeed at every exercise. I have yet to fail or be punished. It kills me to do so, but if there's one thing a learned here, it's that if I want respect, I need to be feared. And what better way to be feared then to succeed at something horrible that others can't?

The second building is located in the middle of the island. That is our base camp. That's where we eat, sleep, and get debriefed for missions. It's a pretty ugly place if you ask me. Each 'bed room' looks like a prison cell with a glass door. Meaning no privacy. If I want to change, I have to change under the covers of my own bed. Weird, awkward, and uncomfortable, I know. But hey, at least there are no adults living with us. Black Adam is only ever on the island for training. After that, he flies away – not telling us where he, or the other members of the Injustice League are.

The third and final building is located at the south side of the island. That building is known as the infamous detaining room. It is literally just a black room with one light bulb – but being in that room can drive anyone crazy. Even Tommy Terror comes out shaking after spending an hour there.

Actually, the detaining room is where I am now. Right with the rest of the team.

Today is one of the few days where we are supposed to 'bond'. And by that, I mean we're locked in here until Black Adam feels like letting us out. It's not that bad when you're with other people, but it's still unexplainably creepy.

"Quite complaining," says Shimmer to Tuppence . I find it weird to hear Shimmer talk. She almost never does. And _when_ she does, it's always short and downgrading. Her voice is agitating as well. It sounds like a butch frog that smoked a thousand packs a day since it was born.

"I'd watch my mouth if I was you, lil' missy," says Tommy. Mammoth begins to snarl at him. In a way, it's nice to see these brother and sister pairs stand up for each other. At least there's an essence of family values here. Even if one of the families has a giant rock for a sibling in it.

"C'mon guys, we're suppose to be bonding," says Icicle Jr. He glances at me, hoping that I can resort some order. I am after all team leader. "Right, my beautiful Tigress?" he asks with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

Oh, and my new code name is Tigress. No one on the team knows my real name, and I prefer to keep it that way.

Wanna know what my costume looks like? It's really tacky. Like something taken out of a 90's sitcom.

Black spandex tank top with matching pants. Going down the sides of my costume are bright orange strips. My bow, quiver, and arrows are now also all orange and so are the boots that I wear. My mask it pretty cool though. It looks like that _Phantom of the Opera_ mask, only orange and with little ears at the top an black stripes on the sides. I never wear my hair in the ponytail anymore. Instead I wear it in a French braid – changing things up y'know?

I don't know why I choose the name 'Tigress', or why I made such a shitty costume for it. I honestly think it was because I was eating _Frosted Flakes_ cereal that morning and got inspired. What can I say? Tony the Tiger is 'Grrrreat!'

"Junior's got a point," I mumble. I purposely try not to sound to involved with things. I bark orders and make plans – that's it. The last thing I need right now is getting to involved with this 'team'.

"Bonding. Right," says Shimmer sarcastically. She leans back on the palms of her hands and looks around the room, her worry lines slowly forming as the silence continues.

"How the heck are we supposed to bond with that thing?" asks Tuppence as she points her partially broken finger to Mammoth. Mammoth reacts by rolling his eyes. He knows he's the most powerful thing on the team, and he could crush us easily. Truthfully, he's my favorite member. He just listens and refuses to put up with other peoples bullshit. If he was on the right side, we could be friends. But he's not. He's far from it actually.

"Funny. I was just about to ask the same thing about you," spits Shimmer. I'm surprised. She's talking a lot more today. Tuppence crosses her arms.

I think Tuppence would have said something in retaliation, if the doors of the room hadn't swung opened. We all turn and see Count Vertigo step into the room.

He's kind of like our Batman. He sends us on missions and scolds us afterwards. And by scold, I mean punishes us, once again, physically. He uses his powers to hurt us and believe me – it _hurts_. But lucky for me, it's the only punishment I have to suffer.

"Hello young operatives," the smile on his face is disconcerting. But then again, it always is. "I have some news for you,"

Well all stand from our seated positions on the ground – each one of use looking skeptically back at him. 'News' is the vaguest term around her. It probably is else where, but around her, an evil smile could turn into punishment in a matter of seconds. "You will be joined by a new team member today. He is the protégé of one of our newest allies," he explains.

New team member? This can't be good. For so many reason it can't be.

I can see the rest of the team glancing angrily back and forth between each other out of the corner of my eye. Probably pissed for their own reasons. Me? I can't show it, but I terrified. Who ever this new person is, they could seriously throw off my control over the team. And if I loose control, that could mean terrible things for both me as well as humanity itself. Whoever this new person is could be a serious threat. I just hope they're controllable.

Suddenly, a flash of red and yellow speeds into the room.

It couldn't be…

Wally?

Have they found me?

The blur comes to a full stop at Count Vertigo's side. It isn't Wally, and I can't tell if that's good or not.

"Everyone, please meet, Zoom,"

My eyes drift over this young boys body. If I knew he wasn't, I could have been convinced he was Wally. However, there are enough differences to say otherwise. The blonde hair, the dazzling blue eyes, and the lack of identifiable freckles.

"Nice to meet you all," he smiles. Even his voice is similar to Wally's. Come to think of it, so is his costume. It looks just like Wally's, but… opposite. Where there is supposed to be red, there's yellow, and where there's white, it's black. It's weird, but it works.

Tommy clicks his tongue. "What are you? Some sorta Kid Flash knock-off?" he asks judgingly.

Zoom doesn't seem fazed by it. Instead, he smiles and simply shrugs. "You could say that,"

A second later, he stands behind Tommy. Zoom giggles and flicks Tommy's ear. Tommy turns to punch Zoom square in the face, but Zoom speeds away back to Count Vertigo's side. "Or you couldn't. Either way," he snickers with a wink.

Tommy growls. I can't help but laugh a little. This one has attitude.

"Super speed? I think we've all seen that before," says Icicle Jr. with a dramatic eye roll.

Zoom glances up to Count Vertigo. The Count gives him a nod, allowing for Zoom to smile back at Icicle Jr. "More like time manipulation. Ever see that?" he asks, smirking. Even his statement confuses me. Time manipulation?

"What do you mean, boy?" snarls Tuppence.

Zoom, still smirking, shrugs his shoulders again. "Long story short, I can make things around me slow down, so I can go fast. Even the Flash himself is slow to me," he explains confidently.

I start to panic. If he's faster then the Flash, that could present a lot of problems for me. I don't need for any member of the Justice League to actually get hurt. Especially if it's by my hand. But I guess I should have seen this coming. I knew going into this that a problem like this was going to surface. I just have to make sure that I can control it.

Count Vertigo pats him gently on the back. A kindness he has never shown to any of us. I figure he's just 'welcoming' Zoom. After all, by this time tomorrow, Zoom will probably be regretting this decision. "He will make a great addition to our team. Now, Why don't you all show him around the island while I speak to Tigress for a moment," he says.

The team leaves with Zoom while I am left with Count Vertigo. I hate being left alone with this man. It's not that he hurts me or anything; it's just that he creeps me out. But I feel that same way with all of the members of the Injustice League.

When the team has cleared the room, I stare into the Count's face. It is neutral at the moment, showing no signs of anger or slyness. I squint. I can usually tell by his facial expressions of what he wants to discuss with me. Since he's showing no emotion, it's probably about the new 'recruit'. "This is about Zoom, I'm guessing?" I ask.

He smiles. "You're learning quick to read me, Tigress," he comments. "Not a skill most people possess," he steps forward, sending shivers up my spine. Seriously. He's totally creepy.

"What about him?" I ask quickly.

Count Vertigo stops in his tracks and his smile falls again into the same neutral face he had on to being with. "He has shown tremendous will to be apart of this team. But I am not sure where his allegiance is," he confesses.

"You don't trust him," I clarify.

"Precisely,"

I furrow my brow further. It's not like the Injustice League to trust just anyone. Yes, I got lucky, but this Zoom character is unknown to both sides. "Then why let his join?" I ask crossing my arms.

"He's skills can be greatly useful," explains Count Vertigo. "Time manipulation is a power that is beneficial to the team. But that doesn't mean I can trust him yet,"

I nod. "I'll try to watch him on missions, and keep a close eye on him on the island-"

"You _will_ watch him on missions," says Count Vertigo threateningly. "But he won't be staying on the island,"

I uncross my arms with confusion. I hate when they act all cryptic. Must be something villains do. "What?"

Count Vertigo turns away from me. "He will be living in his own home of Central City. It's too risky letting him live here if we can't trust him yet. He might be here to collect information, and that's something that cannot happen,"

My heart begins to pound. Central City? Wally lives there. What if they know who he is? No. They would have had him by now. "So the rest of us have to stay here while he-" my protests are silenced with a deep glare from the Count.

"You make it sound like you don't want to be here. And you _do_ want to be here, don't you?" he challenges darkly.

I look away, still frowning. Even though I am the leader, Count Vertigo still remains skeptical of me. I have to work hard to gain his trust. "Of course I want to be here," I lie, although with a convincing growl. "But I'm concerned about training for him,"

Count Vertigo's face relaxes. That was a close one – I have to be more careful. "He will join the team on the weekends and the weekends only. He only requires training for fighting skills," Count Vertigo begins to leave the room. "I except a full report on him after every mission and when he is in fact on the island,". When the count reaches the entrance he pauses and glances back at me. "I know you won't disappoint me, Tigress. Because we both know what might happen if you do,"

And with that, he leaves.

Crap.

I don't think he's onto me, he just doesn't trust anyone. None of them do, and that only makes it harder for me. I stomp out of the detaining room and go straight outside. Te base is only a few miles away, but it's long enough to give me some time to think.

It's hard to gain anyone's trust around here, and there's really only two ways to do it. Either don't mess up, or kill somebody. Killing isn't on my agenda, but not messing up is harder then it sounds, especially if that means I'll have to, indeed, kill somebody. If I'm ever order to do it, I'll be in deep – for lack of a better word – shit. But I'll try not to think about that, right now I have to focus on-

"Hey,"

Him.

I turn around. Standing behind me is Zoom. A smirk is on his face and his hands are behind his back. "Aren't you suppose to be with the team?" I ask.

"Ooo, bossy," he taunts.

"Have to be when you're the leader," I say as I being to walk. He follows. "Where are they anyway?" I ask as she walks beside me.

He uses his head to gesture down the path "I left them somewhere at the base," he explains nonchalantly.

He's probably trying to act cool or something, but by now, I'm not really listening to him. "Why?" I feel like I have to ask to avoid suspicion. While none of us really get along, I have to at least pretend to show concern.

He speeds in front of me, blocking my path. "So I can talk to you,"

Even though he's wearing a mask, I can see him wiggling an eyebrow at me. Great. This is just what I need. Another prison-bate wannabe flirting with me. "Save it, freak, I don't need it,"

I gently try to push him out of my path but he won't move. Persistent motherfucker, isn't he?

"Look, I'm not asking for much? I mean, you can't leave and I can't stay. Dating is really out of the question,"

"No shit, Sherlock. Then what do you want Romeo?" Two insults in one sentence, I should write these down.

He inches close to me "Something more… intimate," he breaths. I frown and shoot him a disapproving glare. Is he implying what I think he's implying? Gross.

"Prev," I growl as I bud past him. But as I depart, he grabs for my wrist.

"Aw, come on. Neither of us are going to get any if we're stuck here," he pleads. I snarl. What a pervert. Okay, time to use some actually training. What did Black Canary say about handling speedsters? Right! The element of surprise. I twist my wrist and slam his body against a tree. Before he can make a move, I pull an arrow from my quiver and hold it to his face.

"Why so eager? You just got here," I question. I taunt him, but at the same time I show anger and superiority in my voice.

He extends his neck to avoid to arrow. "I'm a guy. What do you expect? Besides, I thought…" his voice trails off. But I know what he was thinking.

"That I'd be desperate by now?" his eyes drop to the floor. "Look. I'll be on the same team as you. But if you ever pull that crap on me again, I'll shove this arrow so far down your throat that you won't be able to hit on any other girl for the remainder of your shameful life, are we clear?" I threaten. I know I'm probably being a bit harsh, but hey, he's being pretty annoying.

He smirks at me one more time before he quickly wiggles his way out of my gasp and speeds behind me. "Clear as mud," he whispers. Then, he's lips quickly peck my check and he speeds off towards base. All that I can see of him is a red and yellow blur.

I growl and wipe the residue of his kiss off my cheek. Asshole. Wally would never pull that kind of crap. Not even to M'Gann!

Wally.

I miss him.

I miss the whole team actually. I miss them every day. Not a moment goes by that I regret my decision, but it has to be this way. If I'm going to stop my father, I've got to find him on this side. But I still pray that one day I'll see them again, and, above all, they don't get hurt.

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><p><strong>There you go :). Time to REVIEW!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Nothing to say but; enjoy!**

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><p>For about a month and a half, Superboy and M'Gann were the only ones using the Mount Justice cave. The rest of the team tried to stay as far away from it as possible. With the exception of their therapy sessions with Black Canary, they each opted to spend most of their time at their homes. Kaldur kept himself cooped up in Atlantis, Robin had confined himself to his bedroom, and Wally … well, Wally was a different story.<p>

Unlike the others members of the team, who found sanctuary at their homes, Wally would try to be at his new friend's aunt's house for a long as he could. Hunter was more the hospitable, and neither him nor his aunt question Wally as to why he avoided going home everyday after school.

Like Wally, the other team members found it unbearable to go back to the mountain. Of course, Superboy and M'Gann had to learn to deal with it as they lived there. But as for the others, even being in the presences of the mountain flooded their minds with memories of their beloved and long lost archer. Robin could swear that he could hear her laughter echoing down the halls, and Kaldur was positive that he was having hallucinations of her in the training room. Needless to say, it was painful for all of them.

But unlike Wally, the other members felt a little better when they were in their respective homes. Wally, on the other hand, couldn't even bear the idea of returning home. And when he did, he lived in his basement.

In many ways, Wally was conflicted with inner turmoil. He wanted to be left alone, but he also wanted to talk to somebody. And he felt that he couldn't talk to anybody unless it was Artemis herself – and that defiantly was never going to happen. He couldn't talk to his parents because he felt that they just didn't understand. He knew that his mother would just suffocate him in a hug and repeat the phrase "It's okay," when it clearly wasn't, and his dad would just wrap his arms around his shoulder and try to awkwardly put a consoling sentence together. Sure his dad tried to help, but his dad have never been exposed to something like this, so he couldn't have felt what Wally was going through. The team was also out of the question – Wally knew that they were suffering in their own ways and thought it would be better to just let them be. He figured that it was going against the whole essence of a 'team', but in being such a young group, none of them new how to handle this death properly. And the Flash? Wally almost felt stupid going to him. He didn't want his uncle to see how far he had fallen even though he was a hero to millions. Wally couldn't bear the idea that the Flash would be disappointed with his attitude.

So, Wally would just hang out with Hunter and keep his woes to himself. He knew it was the wrong way to handle it, but the young redhead saw no other possibility.

In fact, his depression got so bad that he found he was eating less and less. Only enough to let him survive. A piece of toast here and a cookie there – that was his new diet. And even though his stomach growled with hunger, Wally was to numb to even notice.

"You should be eating more," said Hunter's aunt as she laid a tray of PB and J sandwiches in front of the two teens. At the moment, both Hunter and Wally were consumed in a video game in Hunter's basement, and barely noticed Hunter's aunt walk in.

When he did notice her, Wally glanced up and politely smiled. She was a very sweet lady, and was only ever nice to Wally when he was over. Hesitantly, Wally reached for one of the sandwiches and took a small bite. To him, it was delicious. "Thank you," said Wally through a mouth full of food. Hunter's aunt beamed at him and began to make her way back up to the main floor. Once she was gone, Wally put the sandwich down and promptly forgot about it.

"Is something wrong, dude?" asked Hunter when he noticed that Wally did not return to his sandwich.

"Remember our deal?" asked Wally, recalling on the promise they had made to each other the first time they met. Wally had meant to say it in a light hearted fashion, but both boys could sense the darkness in his tone.

"Right. Whatever, dude," responded Hunter, keeping his eyes plastered to the television screen.

Suddenly, Wally heard a soft beeping sound come from one of the back pockets of his jeans. Plunging his hand into the pocket, he pulled out his bright red cell phone. Turning on the screen, he saw that he had a new text message from Kaldur.

"Batman has inquired us to return to the mountain. I believe it is for a mission, so bring your uniform,"

Wally froze when he read the text. A mission? He wasn't ready, and he knew that none of the others were either. Why would Batman call for them? Wally had no idea. But, he was smart enough to know that he _had_ to listen to Batman.

"Everything okay?" asked Hunter as he paused the video game.

Wally nodded and placed the phone back into his pocket. "Yeah, I just have to get going; my parents want me home," he lied as he stood from his seated position on the ground.

Hunter shrugged and turned off the television. "See you later?" he called as Wally walked back up the stairs. Wally twitched his hand (making some sort of a waving motion) and left Hunter alone in his basement.

Once Wally was out of sight, Hunter noticed that something in his own basement had begun beeping. It wasn't a cell phone, more like a transmitter made to look like a cell phone. He cocked his eye brow, and sped to the other side of the basement. There, lying in one of the far corners was a red mask that covered most of his face. Slipping it on, he dashed back to the transmitter. After turning the screen on, a holographic image of a girl with bright orange hair and a cat mask appeared before him. She tried to look serious, but seemed more pissed off.

"Get your ass to the island," said spat. "We've got a mission,"

"Anything for you, pussycat,"

The girl grunted and disappeared as the transmitter turned off. Hunter shrugged and dashed to the same corner of the basement. Opening a cabinet door, he threw on a bodysuit made to match his mask.

"I'm heading out for a bit!" called Hunter to his aunt as he zoomed past her.

His aunt had always been quite dismissive, so she didn't even notice his outfit of the red and yellow blur that shot past her. "Alright, sweetie. Just be back in time for dinner,"

Hunter grinned as he bolted out of the house and down the street. "No promises," he snickered under his breath.

When Wally finally approached the Central City zeta tube (an old, busted telephone booth), he took a moment to look at the street around him. It was late afternoon and the sun was shining right down upon the city, illuminating everything with its gentle raise. The atmosphere was now officially cold as the seasons fell into autumn, but the sun still shown on strong.

In a way, it remaindered Wally of Artemis. The golden colour of the ball of gas was similar to the hair colour of his late teammate. The strength that the sun possessed could be rivaled with Artemis's harsh exterior. And the ever lasting remedy of the sun was that to the memory of Artemis. Wally thought about her every moment - like how the sun leave a lasting impression on everyone who sees it. And deep down (even though he wasn't one to believe in the afterlife) Wally could feel Artemis watching down on him from the circle of the sun.

"Recognize: Kid Flash – Bee Oh Three"

And just like that, the sun was gone – much like Artemis.

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><p>Besides the daunting fact that I could possibly die every moment that I'm here, this island is actually beautiful.<p>

It's warm, it's thriving with plants, and it's peaceful when we aren't training. The smells of the wild life and the sounds of the ocean are two things that actually kind of make me feel happy. Even this cliff, which I dangle my feet over, is a straight shot for the ocean – diving off cliffs is something that I often indulge in when I have some time off.

The sunset is one to rival that ones back home. Yes, I often watched the sunset from the mountain, but it just wasn't the same. There, the city lights and noise made it hard to focus on the beauty of the sun, and caused a distraction to the natural world. Here, I can feel encompassed in the suns glow – I feel truly one with nature. God I sound like a hippy, but it's still true. I gaze at the sun almost everyday. I might go blind because of it, but what the hell. It reminds me of home.

The sun reminds me that even though the world goes dark, the sun is always there to shine upon me and give me some hope. Hope that this will all work out and that I'll see my family and friends again.

That I'll see Wally again.

Wally's been on my mind a lot lately. It's weird, but out of all the people I left behind, I wish he was here with me the most. Of course, I would trade anything to see my mother again, but there's something about Wally's mental image in my head that gives me a feeling of … I don't know, but it works. But, I don't have him, I only have the sun.

"Tigress-"

And a horrible group of people to deal with.

"What?" I growl.

Icicle Jr. snickers. "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Need me to cheer you up?" he asks.

What is it with these guys? Do they just not take 'no' for an answer? "I need for you to shut up,"

"Ooo, touchy. I was just going to tell you that the speed brat is here, and Count Vertigo wants us to meet at base," Icicle snarls every time he or someone talks about Zoom. Jealous much?

I hesitate and glance at the sun one last time. "Till tomorrow," I think as I swing my legs over the edge of the cliff and stand in front of Icicle Jr. He smiles and extends his hand out to me.

"In your dream, snowflake," That was a good one. He seems offended by it.

"Hey-!"

"You coming or what?"

He paused to smirk. "I'll go anywhere with you, Tigress,"

I hope he gets injured on the mission.

* * *

><p>When Wally entered the cave, the first thing he noticed was the pending silence. Even though he was the last member of the team to show, all that could be heard was the silent buzz of the ventilation system.<p>

Everyone else was starring back at him. The boys kept their faces serious, but M'Gann's eyebrows gave away her melancholy. Yes, everyone else was sad, but M'Gann was especially bad at trying to hide it.

As he approached the group, Wally was welcomed to attempted smiles and efforts at greetings. Robin waved and Kaldur nodded. M'Gann tried to grin, and Superboy … didn't do a thing. But that was better then Wally was expecting.

A brief moment later, Batman appeared and got straight to work on debriefing the team.

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><p>"Tonight," Count Vertigo began once we assembled. "The Injustice League is looking to obtain some government property. A new computer program that can detect magical influences. If someone has used magic on a certain area or an object, the program can detect it,"<p>

"Technology can do that?" asks Icicle Jr, scratching his head. That is pretty weird. I mean mixing magic and technology has been done before, but it still amazes me that these two totally different things can mix.

"Indeed. And we can find a lot of use for it," says Count Vertigo.

I arch my eyebrow "So what will we be doing?"

* * *

><p>"We believe that there will be a robbery tonight at the New York Harbor. A shipment of weapons that will be sent to a military base are coming in a precisely 12:00 am," explained Batman.<p>

"Do we know who's going to rob it?" asked Robin.

"No. And that's why we're sending you in. You will identify the thieves, and intervene if necessary,"

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><p>"So we're… pretending to rob it?" asks Zoom. He seems a little disappointed with this mission. He was probably expecting more action.<p>

"Don't get me wrong, you may take a few weapons if you wish," says Count Vertigo with a sly smile on his face. "But you will be distracting the sidekicks while we get what our team really needs,"

"The computer program," I finish.

Count Vertigo let's his smile grow "Exactly,"

* * *

><p>As Batman concluded his briefing, he gazed upon the expressions of the group. "I'm sending Zatanna and Red Arrow along with you," he blurted out.<p>

The team exchanged looks between themselves. "May I inquire as to why?" asked Kaldur.

Batman shifted his eyes in Kaldur's direction. He then exhaled sharply through his nose – probably a sympathetic sigh as apposed to a disapproving one. "I know all of you still haven't overcome Artemis's death," he said bluntly. The team all let their eyes fall to their feet as they shifted around awkwardly in their spots. They really hoped that the Dark Knight would have been dismissive of their attitude, as they found him to be the least forgiving of the mentors. "But," he continued "As a team, you must pull together and find it somewhere in you to return to work. Until then, I'm allowing for outside help,"

Kaldur nodded with a sad understanding. He was disappointed that Batman found he couldn't trust them yet, but regrettably understood why. "And we shall," he said convincingly. But Kaldur didn't really mean it – he knew he had to, but moving on from Artemis's death was one of his young life's greatest challenges.

Batman nodded and began to make his way to the zeta tubes. "Head to the bioship, and await for Zatanna and Red Arrow,"

And with that, Batman disappeared in a flash of bright white light.

Kaldur looked to his team and nodded. While on every other mission, he would say some encouraging words, he chose to let them be. Instead, they all made their way to the bioship – being more nervous about the outcome of this minor mission then they ever had been for some of the more challenging and dangerous ones.

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><p>"Once we have obtained the computer program, you will be allowed to return to the island," concludes Count Vertigo. With a finally nod of the head, he walks to the door of the base. "I hope to see you all in a few hours," he calls over his shoulder. When he reaches the door, he pauses and turns to face me and the others. "Remember, don't disappoint me," he says darkly as he left the base camp.<p>

There is a slight pause amongst us. But knowing this band of characters, it won't be kept for long.

"And on that note," says Zoom – a little over enthusiastically. "Let's go get 'em!" he cheers awkwardly when no one else joins in with his eagerness.

The rest of the team, instead, turns to me. "What's the plan Tigress?" asks Icicle Jr.

God I hate this part. I was always a girl of improvisation – Kaldur always came up with the plans. "We do as instructed. We take the sidekicks by force and hold them off till allowed back to the island. Do what ever you must to keep their minds occupied," I instruct. I do have to admit thought, it's nice seeing everyone nod their heads and follow my orders. "Right now, everyone to the chopper," I bark.

The chopper is actually pretty nice. It's like one of those army ones. You know, the ones without any doors? Tommy flies it and I ride 'shot-gun'. And I'm not going to lie, I feel pretty badass doing so.

The only thing that doesn't make me feel so badass is the worry that is building on the inside of my stomach. I worry that I'll mess up, or, more importantly, that those sidekicks who were once my friends will get hurt. That is a pain I never want to deal with… even though… I guess… I put them through it myself.

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><p><strong>I do apologize if I confused anyone with jumping between conversations, and I hope everyone liked it.<strong>

**On a side note: updates might take longer now because I'm heading back to school. But I'll be sure to update the second I can!**

**Otherwise, REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ladies and Gentlemen! I present to you the evidence that I can't really write an action sequence! Seriously though, I found it really hard and the outcome isn't how I pictured it. But I still hope you like it.**

**Now, I present the chapter you've all been waiting for! Enjoy!**

**p.s - _Italics _means telepathic conversation. And sorry for jumping between conversations again.**

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><p>Smog. That's what it was. A whole ton of smog that was blocking the vision of the Young Justice team. Through the ghastly weather and decayed smoke of the marina, the team was blinded – leaving them with a disadvantage. If they couldn't see, they wouldn't be able to see anyone coming. It was up to them to become extremely dependent on their ears and instincts. After all, a gut-feeling is considered very useful to any hero at times like this.<p>

The team had decided to split into pairs – Kaldur with Wally, Zatanna with Robin, Superboy with M'Gann, and Roy with Wolf – each of them exploring different areas of the docks – the Atlantean and the speedster in at the North, the magician and the acrobat in the East, the clone and the Martian in the West, and the archer and the wolf in the South.

Other than basic instruction uttered by Kaldur, the team remained silent as the marched along the creaky decks of the New York Harbor. Adding to the eeriness of the setting, they each felt sick in the pit of their stomachs. All of them (with the exception of the new recruits) felt out of place without Artemis by their side. And in a way, they all felt unprotected. Sure, Roy's skills with a bow and arrow were superb and could match Artemis's skills any day, but it was the lack of her physical presence that bothered them. *They all felt naked – and not in a fun way.

"_Stay alert_," reminded Kaldur. The attempted authority in his voice didn't completely cover the unconfident or remorse that he felt. But no one was really listening to him anyway, they were all trying to cope with this mission – hoping nothing would come of it, and then they could return to their sulking in the privacy of their own lives.

"_I haven't seen any movement for hours_," said Roy. Any other day, he would have been completely pissed off right now. Probably over the fact that he was called for nothing. But Roy decided to remain respectful of the team's sorrows.

"_We haven't found anything either_," added Zatanna as she walked next to the gloomy Robin. He liked Zatanna a lot, but he just could bring himself to be in any kind of a positive mood.

"_Keep looking. I'm sure we'll find something_," concluded Kaldur. And so, they searched on.

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><p>It's weird seeing things from this side. I remember going on missions with the team and being completely taken by surprise when the bad guys would jump from the shadows. Now <em>I<em> stand in the shadows and look upon and their unsuspecting faces.

To think; this whole time the bad guys were always right behind us! If I ever go back, I'll know just where to find them – _if_ I can even go back.

Yet none of that concerns me now. Staring down upon my old team has sent me on an emotional roller-coaster. I'm happy to see them, but sad that it has to be under these circumstances. I want to fall into their grasp – crying my eyes out. But I only know that it would not only jeopardize my position, but my life. I want to warn them, but I know I can't. I can only watch and hope things don't go horribly.

I'm not sure if you ever experienced it – that feeling of seeing a group of long lost loved ones cannot be compared to anything else that humans have felt before. I consider this to be the happiest day of my life! However, I can't rejoice in it. In fact, I must hide my feelings behind my mask and hope that they aren't reviled to the rest of the team.

"Lil' goody-goody's won't know what hit 'em!" whispers Tommy.

"It'll be like the time Cousin Berry hit that squirrel on the side of the road," reminisced Tuppence as she and her brother snickered at old memories.

"Will you two shut it? We're trying to be stealthy here," complains Shimmer as she glares at the Terror twins from her position.

"You should take your own advice," I threaten from my view point. Shimmer glances at me, then looks away. She's probably pissed at me, but she knows better then to turn on one of Count Vertigo's favorites. "That goes for you two," I say to the Terror twins. "Keep it down, or they'll find us," The Terror Twins sneer, but obey my orders. Secretly, I wish they hadn't, and then my friends could find them and save themselves before it's too late.

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><p>Being the Dark Knight's sidekick, Robin had cat-like reflects and heighten sentences. So, he stopped dead in his tracks and shot out his right arm, halting Zatana when he started hearing strange sounds.<p>

"What is it?" asked Zatanna as her heartbeat became elevated with nerves.

Robin listen harder and concentrated on the sounds he was hearing. It sound like… voices. "Someone's here," he said darkly under his breath. He signaled for Zatanna to follow him, and pulled her behind a crate of weapons to hide. "_Guys_, _I heard something. We're going to check it out_," said Robin as he tried to peer around the corner without being seen.

The rest of the team suddenly became on their guard as they listened to the warning of Robin. "_Copy, that Robin_," said Kaldur. "_Everyone remain in position and be cautious_,"

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><p>"Crap!" We turn to Zoom at his silent exclamation. "Batman's slave boy heard us! He's coming this way!"<p>

My mind suddenly becomes flooded with different ideas and options. So many of them involve me jumping out and embracing the acrobat who had become such a close friend of mine. But the rest of me tells me to think of a plan. "We'll split up and take the teams," I say. Hopefully that will even the odds. "Mammoth, Shimmer, hold off Robin and Zatana," They nod and run to meet Robin. "Terror's find the Superboy and the Martian,"

"It's ass whooping time, lil' sis!" Tommy silently cheers as they run off to Superboy and M'Gann.

I turn to Zoom, and almost gag in my throat before spewing my next plan. "Zoom, you're with me. We'll take Kid Flash and Aqualad,"

Zoom smiles stupidly at me. "You got it, pretty kitty," I moan loudly to show my displeasure.

Icicle Jr.'s eyes narrow at Zoom before addressing me. "What do I do?

"Find Red Arrow. You're with him," I say quickly.

Icicle Jr. nods and heads off to find Red Arrow – leaving Zoom with me as we await the oncoming Aqualad and Kid Flash. "And so it begins,"

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><p>Robin had hoped from crate to crate, and was now hiding behind one as he watched a dark figure shift it's weight from side to side. He couldn't see the figure in it's entirety, but from what it's shadow could tell; it was tall and extremely slender (possibly female) was only a small tuft of hair showing. Although he couldn't identify the figure, he shrugged and prepared himself for battle. Robin swiftly climbed the crate, and adjusted his footing so he could attack the figure from a jump. But before he went, he decided to release his signature snicker into the air. It helped him get in the zone, as well as through off his opponent. Once the laugh finished echoing, Robin sprung from the crate and extending his legs.<p>

But, to his surprise, the figure spun around, grab his ankles, and threw him to the wooden dock. The impact hurt more than usual as it caught him completely by surprise.

"I know all you're tricks, bird brain," said the figure. And suddenly, with a little light to illuminate the figure's face, Robin could see clearly who his opponent was. "Shimmer," he growled. She growled back, and a fight commenced.

A few meter's away stood Zatanna. The second she saw Robin's attack fail, she began running at full sprint to his side. However, she was suddenly blocked by a giant monster like figure who roared in her face and sent her flying back with just a slap of his huge, rock-like hands.

"Zatana!" screamed Robin as he watched her body be flung yards away from Mammoth.

Suddenly, the memory of Artemis death flashed back to him – as he saw Zatana fly threw the air, he envisioned Artemis topple over the railing into the falls. The flash back, however, left him unguarded, and Shimmer was able to land a punch that sent him to the ground once more.

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><p>Superboy and M'Gann were only a few docks away from Robin when they heard him call for Zatanna's name. Like Zatanna, they began to rush to his call. However, they were stopped by the sound of to vaguely familiar voices.<p>

"Now correct me if I'm wrong, lil' sis," Then, the Terror twins appeared before them. When the two saw they siblings, they stiffened and prepared for a fight. "But aren't these the two brats who _stole_ our identity?" asked Tommy to Tuppence.

"I believe you're right, Tommy," respond Tuppence with a snicker.

"And isn't identity theft _illegal_?" asked Tommy.

"Why, I believe so," said Tuppence as her laughs became more threatening.

"I think we should make them pay the penalty," growled Tommy as he charged for Superboy.

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><p>Roy walked silently with Wolf, keeping his senses alert as he turned each corner, passing crate after crate of weaponry. Suddenly, Icicle Jr. jumped out of nowhere and smiled evilly at Roy. "Now it's time for some payback!" he cheered as he created an ice shield just as Roy aimed an arrow at him.<p>

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><p>Wally and Kaldur walked in dead silence. Their were no reports from the team, so the assumed all was well-<p>

"_Aqualad_!" yelled M'Gann.

The scream caught Kaldur so off guard, he jumped back slightly before responding. "_Miss. Martian_?" he confirmed.

"_Aqualad! Superboy and I are being attacked by the Terror Twins!_" she explained.

"_They must be the_-"

"_Negative_," said Robin as he interrupted Kaldur. "_Zatanna are being attacked by Mammoth and Shimmer_!"

Kaldur and Wally glanced at each other, stricken with panic. "_Red Arrow_?" asked Aqualad meekly.

"_I've got Icicle Jr.,_" he grunted.

The look of panic changed on both the boy's faces to hysteria. The Terror Twins, Mammoth and Shimmer, _and_ Icicle Jr.? It make any sense and it didn't add up. Why would all of these young adults be working together?

"We should split up and help the other. I'll-"

Kaldur was once again cut off by… well he didn't really know what. All he saw was a red and yellow blur speed past him and knock him over. And since Wally was also on the wooden deck, it couldn't have been him. "Did you see that?" gasped Wally and he hoped to his feet.

Kaldur rubbed his head where but had made impact with the ground, and frantically looked around. "I-I think so-" The blur came speeding past them again and sent Wally back down to the deck next to Kaldur. The two jumped to the feet and quickly shifted their eyes around.

Then, there was a young boy before them. One with a reverse uniform to Wally's. Neither of them recognized the boy, but were greatly shocked by his appearance.

"Who are you?" asked Kaldur aggressively.

The boy smirked and pretended to be more interested in his nails. "They call me Zoom, fish boy," his eyes then narrowed to Wally's "The fastest boy alive," he grinned.

Wally suddenly become full of rage and annoyance. He didn't know this 'Zoom' character for very long, and hated how he was already bragging. "Ugh! That is it!" Speeding towards the boy, Wally attacked Zoom with full force. Kaldur wanted to help, but the only thing he saw of the two were yellow and red blurs.

Then, out of nowhere, a long black arrow shot from the darkness of the shadows and skinned the top of Kaldur's shoulder. He knew it couldn't have been Roy because the tips of his arrows are red. These were _all_ black. Vamping up his Water-Bearers, Kaldur formed the water into giant hammers and stood on guard. As another arrow whizzed past them, he growled. "Show yourself!" he demanded to the darkness. He received to response, but another arrow shooting towards him. This time, it hit him right at the elbow joint. Luckily his skin was able to withstand the ordinary arrow.

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><p>The fight between Mammoth and Zatanna ended quickly. Zatanna was able to hold him off was a rather difficult spell she had just learned. It's was extremely hard on her body in general, but it was better than trying to fend for herself against a monster such as Mammoth.<p>

Shimmer and Robin were matched with their fighting skills – only making the fight last longer as they could both hold the other off. However, after gaining the upper hand after drastically changing his footwork, Robin knocked Shimmer to the ground and pinned her down. "Alright!" he yelled. "What's going on?" some spit from his mouth flew onto her face as he yelled at her, demanding he know the reason behind her attack. Shimmer didn't respond. Instead, she swung her legs out and knocked the boy wonder onto his back. When she had the opportunity, she fled into the night, summoning for her brother to follow her. He did so contently, allowing for Zatana to relax from holding her spell. When she did, she passed out of exhaustion. Robin rushed to her side and scooped her up. "_Shimmer and Mammoth are gone. But Zatanna's out_,"

He looked down at her round and peaceful face. And when he did, he became consumed with guilt. Again he had let down another one of his teammates. This time just _almost_ killing her. He laid his forehead on top of her and wept softly. "I really do hate this," he whispered.

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><p>Superboy and M'Gann had just finished up their battle when they heard Robin's message. They two were gaining the upper hand on the battle before the Terror twins just turned and scampered off into the rows of crates. Roy also had no trouble defending himself from Icicle Jr. and also found that his opponent ran away just as Roy was about to finish the fight.<p>

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><p>Wally was the one having the most difficulty. He felt as though he and this Zoom guy were tiny balls in a pinball machine – just bouncing off walls and occasionally hitting each other. He just couldn't out run this guy. Eventually though, and to his surprise, Zoom bounced back at him with a punch so hard that it knocked Wally off his feet and sent him into a crate.<p>

Kaldur entered the shadows where the arrows had shot from. It was hard to see, but then he figured that who ever was firing would also be at a disadvantage. Creeping between the crates, he saw and heard nothing of the mysterious source.

"Peek-a-boo!"

Suddenly, Zoom attacked Kaldur, and knocked him right on his backside. Kaldur gasped. Obviously, Wally must be down somewhere if Zoom was pursuing him, and he feared the life of his teammate. He swore that he wasn't going to loose another. Not tonight at least.

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><p>I have to hand it to Zoom. If he hadn't attacked Kaldur, my old leader would have discovered me. But at the same time, I wish that he had found me. I know it would ruin everything I've built, but you can't understand how painful it is to see my friends, and not be able to join them.<p>

Then a radio transmission comes in "We have secured the computer program. You and your teammates have permission to return to the island," it was Count Vertigo, and not a moment to soon. A peer around the corner of the crate, and watch as Zoom receives the message. Giving Kaldur one last punch to the face, he speeds past me to the chopper. I glance at Kaldur and a tear forms in my eye. He looks seriously hurt, and it's all my fault. I'd harm myself as punishment right here right now if I could, and my body aches to do so. I've caused him pain… how can I live with myself?"

With a heavy heart, I turn on my heels towards the chopper. While I wish they did, at least no one saw me…

"And where did you think you're going?" A strong hand wraps itself around my biceps, and gently pulls me in the opposite direction. It wouldn't have recognized that person grabbing me, if it weren't for that voice.

That beautiful voice.

Wally West was the hero who had a death grip on my arm.

At of everyone it could have been, it was Wally West.

Right now, I can feel my heart beating at 1000 miles per hour, and my stomach launch into my throat. I feel my skin breakout in goose bumps, and the small hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. His whole body is extremely close to mine. I can smell is glorious scent, and just feel a little of his breath on the back of my mostly bare shoulders. Oh God…

With another light jerk, he is able to turn me around and face him.

And I'll tell you one thing; what happened in those few short moments would never occur again on this earth between to people.

For the first time in months, I see most of the face that I vowed I would hate for the rest of my days. But seeing it now, it looks to be the most beautiful face I have ever seen. So sculpted, yet so happy. He looks taller and stronger to me – only causing me to seriously contemplate jumping into his arms.

At first, the look in his eyes are fierce. The seem to hunger for an unknown vengeance. I don't know why, but to me, he looked terrifying.

But the more he stared at me in anger, the more his face began to relax.

Now he squints, and now… he stares.

He stares deep into my eyes and analyzes them over and over.

And then he says it. One word I thought I would never really hear again. One word that I haven't heard in months. A word that was almost lost to me until it flies from his perfect lips.

"Artemis?" he whispers.

My name.

He just said my name.

What was only a brief second felt like an hour to me. He continues to hold my stare, and contently stares back. I feel my heart rip inside my chest.

He knows.

He knows who I am and who I have become.

I become so overjoyed that I almost fall out of character. I couldn't give two shits though, because he knows! And now that he knows, I feel as though everything will be well again.

But my heart pulls itself apart for one reason – my father. Again, he's ruined my life.

I suddenly remember that I must keep myself a secret from him, or else everything will be destroyed.

"Tigress!" shouts the team from behind me. Their voices snap me out of my trance. I have to think fast – then I get an idea.

Using my bow, I hit him right in the jaw with the metallic weapon. A small cracking sound comes with it, but I couldn't hear it as I had already started running to the chopper.

I jump in just as it becomes airborne, glancing back down to the docks, I see the others surround a mostly knocked-out Wally. What I'd give to be down there with them, and at Wally's side. But for now, I am here. Sitting in an old chopper with some of the most ruthless beings on the planet. The only joy I received tonight; being able to hear my name one last time – even if it did rip my soul to shreds. For it is my name, and the only one I have. But I have left it behind as well as the rest of my life. To hear my name again was like finding a long lost and beloved item. That reuniting sensation that fills your body with ecstasy.

I only wish that he hadn't said it.

God, I'm terrified right now. Wally knows that I'm not dead. What he'll do with that information, I don't know.

I'd trade anything to break down into tear right now. To just spill my sorrows onto the floor of the chopper. Yet if I do, my life would be at stake. I gently press on my mask to ensure that it's covering my sad eyes. My mask is the last place to hide my true feelings, and right now, at this very moment, I need it more then ever before.

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><p><strong>There you go! REVIEW!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi! This is me, taking forever to update again! Sorry bout that. He's the next part! Enjoy!**

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><p>The bioship was quiet on the way back to the mountain. However, it was not quite in such a sullen way as it was before, but more of a comfortable way. The young teens in ship felt quite pleased with their performance that evening – they were able to fend off some of their strongest opponents, and were now back into the hero mind set. Each of them silently contemplated why these villains had threatened to steal weapons, but didn't take one, and wondered why those villains in particular were working together. Since their minds were into that superhero mind frame, and no one was severely injured (Wally's jaw was actually fine), their spirits were some what picked up. They felt as though they would have made Artemis proud with their accomplishment, especially since they finally began to put their mourning aside and get back to work.<p>

That is, if she was dead.

Wally spent the entire ride to the cave with his elbows resting on his knees and his head tilted towards the dashboard. His hands were clasped together, and face was scrunched up into a puzzled look.

He saw Artemis.

He could swear to God that he saw her.

Or did he? He couldn't decide.

"Was it just a figment of my imagination?" Wally thought to himself. He defiantly considered that to be a possibility. After all, he _had_ witnessed her death, her burial, everything. "But maybe that was all an act… but why? No. That would take months of planning with outside help. Maybe she was working with the team we just fought. But why would she leave us for them? No. She wouldn't… would she?" Thoughts like these spun around in Wally's brain – mixing together with new ideas, new thoughts, new denials. And every time he had a new idea, he wanted to share it with the rest of the team. He wanted to tell them what he saw that night. Their old teammate, their best friend. But when he began to think like that, new thoughts were, once again, created and analyzed. "What if they think I'm going crazy? They probably would. But what if they took me seriously? Would we go after her… of course we would! … But is that what she wants? What the even _her_?"

Wally closed his eyes and recalled on the memory. He envisioned the dark sky, the ominous sea, the wet decks, they misty and moist smoggy air, the smell of decaying fish, and the fight with Zoom. Eventually, the picture in his head played out right till the moment he saw the girls face. Wally could see her lips, jaw line, and eyes – that was it. But to him, it was just enough. The girl had the same strong, yet feminine jaw, the same plump salmon lips that he often daydreamed about kissing, and the same grey eyes that locked away her inner feelings. "Yup. It's must have been here," thought Wally. He then remembered the feelings he had when he saw her. He remembered the explosion of emotions that went off in the bottom of his stomach, and in the center of his heart. He felt overwhelmed with joy at the very sight of her, but also a cavalcade of confusion and desperation. He wondered why she was still alive and working for the enemy, and he so desperately wanted answers and to embrace her after all this time.

When he opened his eyes, Wally saw the familiar metal walls of the interior of the mountain. Behind him, the rest of the team was filing out of the bioship, and making their way to the main hall for their debriefing. Wally followed, but his mind was elsewhere. He was still thinking about the previous events of the evening.

The team stood in the hall, awaiting for Batman patiently. And finally, Wally came to the conclusion that he should share his thought with the team. So in a moment of extreme confusion, melancholy, and hopefulness, Wally blurted out everything that was on his mind, starting with; "I think the archer girl was Artemis…"

The shock of the news silenced every body. Even Roy couldn't think of anything to say. None of them knew how to properly react, because most of them didn't know what to make of Wally's sanity.

But upon hearing the suggestion that Wally made about the possibly of Artemis still being alive, they each felt like someone had just punched them in the stomach. The news was shocking, devastating, and yet joyful. However, their rational minds all agreed that it couldn't be possible. They all looked to Kaldur, who nodded his head and gently placed a hand on Wally's shoulder.

"Wally, I know you miss Artemis, but-"

"No," said Wally assertively. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think it was her," he added, gently rotating his shoulder so that Kaldur's hand would slip off.

"Wally-" said Robin, concern filling his voice.

"Just hear me out, she looked like her, she was an archer-"

"There are many archers," said Roy. He spoke more seriously then the others, but only because he felt there was truly something wrong with Wally. After all, Artemis was dead, and had been for a few weeks. Usually, signs of mental trauma begin to elevate at this stage – at least that's what Roy heard.

"But I could swear-"

"Wally, stop joking," M'Gann's voice was shaky, as if she was about to cry. She knew that it wasn't at all possible for Artemis to be alive, but she was getting filled with false hope, only knowing that the hope would be demolished later.

"Do you think I would joke about something like this?" Wally's voice was getting angry. He wanted them to take him seriously, and to somewhat believe in his tale. He knew that the team would want her back, so he couldn't understand why they weren't going for this idea. "I swear I saw her-"

"No, Wally, you didn't," said Zatanna gently, trying to ease the tension. M'Gann was on the verge of tears and Zatanna worried that Wally might say or do something he'd regret.

"But I know I did! At least I think so!"

"Wally. Stop." Superboy began to clench his fists tightly, and M'Gann's whimpers turned into light sobs. He couldn't stand to watch his girlfriend cry.

"But I-"

"I SAID STOP!"

Superboy's fit or rage caused the whole team to gasp, and for M'Gann to begin to cry louder. Whatever glimpse of happiness the team saw tonight was gone in an instance. After his exclamation, Superboy had picked Wally up by the collar of his uniform, and had violently banged Wally up against a wall, keeping him in the air as Superboy glared angrily into his eyes. Wally had never been more scared of Superboy in his life – not even when he first attacked him.

"When will you get it through your thick head? Artemis is dead and there isn't a thing anyone can do about it! So why don't you do us all a favor and leave us to morn in peace! We don't need you or your pea-sized brain to hurt us with useless information!"

Everyone was afraid to speak (Roy was more or less just observing the scene with an expressionless face). Kaldur, however saw this as the right moment to intervene. "Superboy, you don't mean that…"

Superboy dropped Wally and turned his attention to the group. "Well it's true! Artemis is dead! Do you get it? Passed on! Exterminated! Dead! Do you want for me to say it in another languages? Cause I can! And it's idiots like him-!" he yelled, pointing to Wally. "Who just hurt people with their stupid remarks! Artemis cannot, and will not come back-"

SLAP.

Once again, the room fell into a thick and deep silence, for M'Gann had slapped Superboy right across the face. Everyone froze at the sight, especially M'Gann, who had a look of terror on her face. The hand that she had slapped her boyfriend with was shaking in front of her mouth, as she used it to cover her shocked expression. Superboy, head still turned in the direction of the slap, touched the red area on his check where M'Gann had struck. "Superboy… I'm… I'm sorry, I-"

Superboy budded past her, and the tears gently began to flow from her eyes again. Wally stood from the floor and watched as Superboy stormed from the main hall to his bedroom. He looked to Kaldur who just softly shook his head.

"No more, Wally. This is enough-"

"Exactly,"

The group turned as Batman entered the main hall, obviously after having watched the whole scene from a different and unknown view point. "I had put you all on this assignment because I thought it would bring you guys back together as a team. But I see now that it was a bad decision. As a team, you must rally together and helped each other with your problems. But since you have failed to do so, I can see that you still won't be ready for sometime,"

Batman then swiftly made his exit to the zeta tubes and disappeared in a flash of white light. While he was harsh on the teens, he was right. They needed to help each other. But none of them could see that.

The team hung their head low as Roy took his leave shortly after. Batman was right, and they felt both miserable and embarrassed for behaving in such away.

But Wally didn't know how to feel. He felt the same as the team, but at the same time, he should have been heard. He couldn't prove it, but something inside his heart told him that Artemis was alive and he needed to find her, no matter what.

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><p>When our plane touches ground on our little island. I immediately march the team to the base. Count Vertigo would want to speak with us about the mission, and I just want to get the debriefing over with.<p>

Why? Cause I have a ton of shit going through my brain! That's fucking why!

Wally, the teams, the fight, everything! I just need to sort it all out.

"What's the rush?" asks Icicle Jr. I don't respond, I just keep walking. I need to get this debriefing done – then I need to be alone. I need to be alone to just… think.

We enter the base to see a holographic image of Count Vertigo smiling evilly at us. "Very good work," says the image. "We have obtained the program and will now use it to our benefit. You will begin training again in the morning," the image fades out. Time to make my escape to my room. The only privacy I have on the island (and that's saying a lot).

I run into my room and kick my bed so hard that it leaves a dent in the wall from impact. If I could scream, I would. But alas, I can't raise suspicion.

_He_ saw me tonight. Wally West saw me. Everything is ruined.

He'll probably tell the rest of the team about my existence. If he does I'll never catch my father! And if I don't catch my father, no one will! No offense to the Justice League, but I've been exposed to the Shadows for a long ass time now. I know them well, and the League will never find my father! Never!

Suddenly, there is a light tapping at my door. I look up to see the last people I want to deal with. In walks Tuppence, followed by Tommy. If they're not out in five seconds I swear to God I'll strangled them with the stupid chains they wear around their necks. Goddamnit! Now I sound like my father!

"Tigress," starts Tuppence. "Tommy and I have been doing some thinking," Tommy's eyes fall to the ground. In shame? Probably. His sister is trying to think after all. "We both agree that we need a leader who has pure strength-"

What is she getting at? And why am I acting like I care? I need for her to leave. "Not now, Tuppence!"

"Just hear me out," she snaps. "Now Tommy hear is the strongest thing with a brain. And he wants to be leader of our group. Don't you, Tommy?" asks Tuppence, nudging Tommy harshly in the stomach. He nods awkwardly.

Seriously? They're judging my leadership? If only we were on opposite sides again. "Right," I respond – trying to pass it off as a joke. "Try suggesting that idea to Count Vertigo,"

Tuppence snorts at me. "Tommy isn't leaving hear till we've got this … settled," She nudges him again and he nods… again.

Jesus! I can't get a moment alone here without someone challenging me! "Alright look. You beat me in hand-to-hand combat right here, right now, and I'll make you leader. If I win, I stay leader, deal?" I ask quickly but bluntly.

A smile spreads across Tuppence's face. "Take her out, Tommy,"

Tommy looks to his younger sister, then to me. Something in his face tells me that he doesn't want to do this, but his sister wants the superiority. Wow, way to have your brother fight your battles for you.

Eventually, he charges at me with full force. I dodge his attack easily. Okay – now it's time to think; Black Canary said that the best way to fight someone with super strength is to use his anger against him. Tommy is slopping when he's angry. One wrong step and I can trip him easily. Perfect.

Tommy charges again. This time, I simply stick my foot out and cause him to go tumbling forward. While he is down, I pin him with all fours and point one of my arrows at his face. He struggles for a bit, but gives up once he notices the sharp arrow pointing at him between his eyebrows.

"Now look her, meat head. I have been chosen as leader. And frankly, I'm the best damn choice," Tuppence is about to protest, but Tommy shoots her a dark look over my shoulder, silencing her. "If you ever challenge me again, I'll shove this arrow so far up your ass that you'll taste metal for a month! Got it?" I yell in his face. As I look down at him, I can't help but notice that he looks genuinely terrified of me. Not something I would except from someone with super strength. He nods with his whole body shaking. Without another word, I let him up and toss him and his sister out of my room. When they are out of sight, I collapse onto my bed.

What have I become? I've gotten to this stage where I'm far from my father, but further from my team! Now I'm a bitch who terrorizes everyone and anyone who both does or doesn't deserve it. This place is turning me into the one thing I never wanted to become – my father. The worst part is, even if my old team comes and saves me, I'm still doomed to become my father – no matter what I do. After all, I have his blonde hair. Only makes sense that I would get his ruthless genetics.

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><p><strong>This chapter wasn't my strongest... but the next one will be better.<strong>

**REVIEWING TIME! Hit me with your best shot!**


	9. Chapter 9

**This Chapter is my Easter present to you (and a little birthday present for myself... *cough* it's on Saturday *cough*). Haha XD.**

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><p>1 week later…<p>

Silence was now a standard sound to the team. It was rare to have conversation, or to hear anything else for that matter. They would just sit in complete silence whenever they were together.

Wally and Superboy especially. M'Gann and Superboy had talked less and less over the past few days, and Superboy blamed that on Wally. He felt that Wally caused M'Gann's elevated melancholy.

While Superboy was somewhat concerned over his actions, he was more upset at the fact that he still didn't mourn over the loss of Artemis. By now it was driving him crazy. Night after night, he would sit in the kitchen and try to create a single tear or a single whimper. And night after night, nothing happened.

Other than Superboy, the group had forgiven Wally for his outburst. Little did they know that Wally was still convinced he saw Artemis that night. However, he learned that brining her up would only upset the team. Therefore, he preferred to keep his image to himself.

But if he ever saw her again, he would force them to go after her… wherever she was.

The team, in general, didn't want to keep meeting up. They had arranged to meet every night at the mountain to try and understand this mysterious new group of young villains they had fought. Yet they preferred to just sit and silence and keep to themselves. After all, they weren't use to hanging around other people after having locked themselves away in their own homes for a month now.

It was about 15 minutes before they had to leave; Robin was drumming his fingers lightly across the kitchen counter when his memory began to acted up. Gently frowning under his dark shades, he stopped the drumming and smiled some. "Artemis would be turning 16 today," he said quietly. The group looked over to him, their faces drenched with shock. Almost no one dared to bring up the memory of Artemis as it still hurt them to think about her. Robin's smile grew "Remember when we celebrated her 15th?" he asked.

Then, strangely enough, a smile started to grow on everyone's face. "I do remember," said Kaldur. "It believe it was 3 months after she joined the team,"

"That's right," continued M'Gann quietly. "Didn't Batman tell us her birthday had passed? So we threw her a party?"

Little giggles created themselves from the throats for the once sorrowful team. "We sang her 'A very merry un-birthday' like they did in _Alice in Wonderland_," added Superboy. He still didn't understand why they had thrown her a late birthday, or what a merry _un_-birthday was. As a matter of fact, the whole plot of Alice in Wonderland confused him. Where did she go? How could that cat disappear? How could playing cards dance? But he just shrugged off the questions and kept it to himself.

"Remember how Wally ate the whole cake and we had to make another?" chuckled Robin.

"I remember accidently burning it… then accidently dropping it," laughed M'Gann.

"And then the fire alarm system went off from all the smoke from the oven. The sprinklers ruined all the presents," recalled Superboy. The presents in general weren't much. Just 'Happy Birthday' cards with gifts cards and such. None of them really knew Artemis by that point, and didn't know what to get her.

The team started to laugh at the failure, which was Artemis's 15th belated birthday. But then, the group of teens started to quite down…

"Do you remember what she said to us?" asked Kaldur with a soft smile on his face.

Wally whipped a tear from his face and looked up. "She said that in all of her 15 years, it was the best birthday she ever had," They all smiled at Artemis's pure love of the team, and her acceptance of them no matter who are what they were. After another moment of silence, Robin walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water for everyone. Passing them out, he cracked the lid of his open, and hosted it up in the air. "To Artemis," The team repeated his action and took a long sip from their own bottle.

Wally looked at his and smiled, wondering how she was celebrating her birthday at this moment – if it was really her that he saw. Before he took a swing of water, he smiled and whispered; "Happy birthday, Arty,"

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><p>As I lay in my bed, I replay the events that took place last week over and over again in my head. But more importantly, I can see Wally's face – his beautiful face – looking straight at me. And… he said my name. My one and only really name. Not Tigress – Artemis.<p>

Crap this isn't good. What if my new team heard him? What if he blows my cover? Or worse, what if he told the Justice League? What if they're coming after me? The last thing I need from them right now is to intervene when I'm… actually; I'm nowhere near closer to finding my father then I was with my old team.

Oh God, this was such a big mistake. I should never have left. I could have gotten so much help. But the again, that would involve me reviling who my family is. What would the team do with that information? What would Wally do?

More importantly, what will he do now? Does he hate me? I did, after all, lead an attack on my friends – no, my family. How could they ever forgive me? If they come to find me, it would be to lock me up – which I deserve.

I only hope that isn't so. I really like – no, I love Wally. There, I said it. I'm in love with Wally West. It's the memory of him that's getting me through this whole thing. But now, he probably hates me. How can I go on knowing that?

All of a sudden, I hear a knock at my door. So I sit up in bed and see Zoom waving at me. What a prick. "Go away!" I yell. He's the last person I need to see. Just thinking about him causes me to think about Wally.

He snickers. "Black Adam's here. He wants to see us all in the detaining room,"

I furrow my brow. Why would Black Adam be here? Training isn't supposed to start for another half-hour. "Are you lying?" I ask. The glass is thin, so I know he can hear me.

He smiles. "Would I lie to you?" he asks. Probably. I growl and stand from my bed. He doesn't wait for me, but speeds ahead. Good. I really don't need Zoom near me right now.

When I get to the detaining room, I can see the whole team is already there. But something's off. They're all… smiling at me. And not in a nice way – a maniacal way. Are they planning something? What have I done?

Black Adam steps forward and looks down upon me. "Count Vertigo would like to thank you for leading the distraction last week, and complements you on a job well done," he says. I nod skeptically, not taking my eyes off the others – why are they still smiling? "You are one of my toughest students," he continues. "And for that, I am proud. But, surely, we can make you tougher," the others begin to laugh. What's going on? What does he mean 'we'? "I have received word from the league that-" he pauses and stares straight into my eyes. "Today, is your birthday,"

Oh no.

Oh God, please no.

"And you know the tradition around here,"

I know it very well. We've done it to every other member of the team. I knew all along it was only a matter of time before it got to me, but I honestly forgot about my birthday all together.

"It's time for your birthday beats,"

I remember hearing that tern when I was younger. Back then, it meant a few small pinches from the other kids in your class. But here, it means you get beat by the other members of the team. The others snicker and start to crowd around me. The worst part is, I can't fight back – I have to take it, and learn to deal with it after.

"Tommy, Mammoth, only two hits for you. The rest of you get three each. You may begin,"

I look around and watch them enclose themselves around me. There's only one-way to deal with this – I have to be tough. "Bring it,"

"With pleasure, princess," snarls Tuppence. She throws the first burse causing punch and the beat begin. One.

Tommy cracks his knuckles and steps forward. His sister has already landed one on my right eye, so he goes from my left. Two.

The blow sends me stumbling backward – right in the direction of Shimmer, who spin-kicks me in the back. Three.

Icicle Jr. sends a mass of ice spicks in my direction and they all land in different places. Some of them break skin. Four.

I gather my bearings and glance up. Zoom shrugs. "Sorry, beautiful," he winks. He then speeds towards me and body checks me into a near-by wall. Five.

Mammoth picks me and (surprisingly gently) flings me across the room. However, I land on my front, and that still hurts. Six.

Tuppence picks my up by he collar and smacks me right in the jaw. Seven

She passes me to Tommy who does the same thing, but in the opposite direction. Eight.

Black Adam allows from me to have a breather at the halfway point. I breathe heavily through the blood and pain. I feeling like crying now, but I mustn't. The can't break me. I won't allow it. "Keep… going,"

Shimmer head-butts me hard enough for me to black out for a second or two. Nine.

Icicle Jr. repeats his ice trick again, this time allow for more ice spicks to penetrate my skin. Ten.

Zoom speeds over and begins to run circles around me. The more he does so, the harder it gets for me to breathe. Seconds before I pass out, he stops. Eleven.

I am flung to the other end of the room by Mammoth again, but still not as hard as I could have been. It still hurts like crazy, but I wonder why he's holding off. Twelve.

Tuppence kicks me hard in the stomach while I'm still lying down. Thirteen.

Shimmer hosts me up – only to kick me back down again. Fourteen.

Another group of ice spikes come flying my way. More skin is broken, but I'm practically numbed to this pain. God, Icicle Jr. is so unoriginal. Fifteen.

I have one more to go, and it's all up to Zoom. The group turns to him and gives him a nod of encouragement. He smiles to them, then looks to me. I glare back at him with whatever strength I have left. "Make… it… count,"

He smirks at me and nods. "Whatever you say, pussy cat,"

In a flash of red and yellow, my body is picked up, and spun in circles till I feel like I'm going to vomit. Before I spew, Zoom lets go of me, and I am sent flying to the other end of the room. I hit the wall, and then the floor. Hard. Sixteen.

They rest of the team breaks out into applause as I fail to stand up. Once my body is in full contact with the ground, I hug my knees and curl them into my chest. Everything hurts. Blood is coming from everywhere, and I'm sure I'm covered in burses. Even breathing hurts. But I can't cry now. I can't. They can't break me.

Black Adam leans into me and nods approvingly. "No tears. I am impressed. Happy birthday, young warrior," he stands up tall again. "But you still have the rest of the day to get through, and I expect nothing but the best from you in training today," he says as he begins to leave from the detaining room. "Training in half an hour," he calls to the group.

The group follows him silently. Tuppence snickers at me, but she doesn't bother me for too long. Neither Shimmer nor Tommy even acknowledge me, which I prefer in a way. Mammoth stands over me for a brief second. We make some eye contact, but he quickly turns his head and follows the others out of the room.

When most have cleared, Icicle Jr lingers behind and offers me a hand. I turn away. "You'd get in trouble for helping me," I say darkly. True, that was a little harsh, but he was being nice. And the last thing I want for him to get in trouble over is being nice.

"Yeah. So why don't you run along snowflake?" cackles Zoom from one of the far corners of the room. Icicle Jr. frowns at him, but then takes his leave as well – leaving me alone with Zoom.

Zoom saunters over to me, and sits crossed-legged right in front of my face. I refuse to look up. "Is the little kitty okay?" he asks. What an idiot. "Look, I'll be willing to help you up – _if_ you reconsider my suggestion,"

I turn my head to face him. Is he really thinking about _that_ when I'm like _this_? Curled up like a ball on the floor, dripping blood. Ass-hole. "I wouldn't touch you even if you _were_ helping me out," I growl.

He frowns, and then stands. "It was worth a try. But it'll happen one day, Tigress – one day you won't be able to resist my charm and good looks," and with that, he speeds out of the room.

Finally, I am alone to deal with the pain. I won't cry. I can't now. Even though I've never felt so much pain and can't do it. They can still watch me on the monitors, and I won't let them see me cry.

I peel myself off the ground and stumble out of the detaining room with one thought in my mind – Wally. Through all of this suffering, it's his mental image that speeds up my recovery. His red hair and freckles have never failed to heal me and never will. Who needs a bandage when I've got Wally West on my mind? He probably hates me now, but it still helps me heal to image his beautiful face.

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><p><strong>And there you go. If you want to give me a present back, all you have to do is REVIEW! Haha... but seriously... REVIEW!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi! Hope everyone had a good Easter, and thanks for the birthday wishes :D! You guys are too sweet! STORY TIME!**

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><p>The redheaded speedster sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor of his new friends basement. The friend in question sat across from him, mirroring his seated position and rubbing his hand through his blonde hair awkwardly. "Dude… I know you said you wanted to talk… but this is getting weird…" confessed Hunter. Indeed, Wally had called Hunter that morning and told him that he needed to talk to him.<p>

Wally had gotten fed up with his secrecy. He needed to tell someone - something. Just enough to get that feeling of weight off his chest. Not all of the details of his life of course, just the basics. He needed to get it out – and he felt Hunter was the best person to ventilate to. Hunter had been nothing but nice to Wally ever since they met. They had grown really close and Wally felt like he owed it to Hunter to tell him why he was moping around on that first day of school.

But, Wally couldn't find the right words, so he and Hunter had been sitting in the basement for 10 minutes in an awkward silence. Wally glanced down at the small silver ring that bared Artemis's green fletching. He didn't take it off ever since he first put it on, for it gave him a sense of security - like she was always with him.

Taking a deep breath, Wally looked at Hunter. "Remember that deal with made the first day we met?"

The awkward smile on Hunter's face fell as he looked away from Wally's intense and serious vision. Truth is, he had a secret of his own, and wasn't himself quite ready to 'spill the beans'. Still, Wally was his friend, and if Wally was ready, he was ready. A deal's a deal after all. Hunter nodded solemnly and waited patiently to hear what Wally had to say.

"Well… I think I'm ready to tell you," said Wally. Hunter adjusted his seated position some and folded his hands across his lap. Wally gulped back what felt like a stone in his throat and blinked a few times – preparing himself for the tale he was about to tell. "The reason I was so – depressed," began Wally. "Was… well…" Wally sighed again. "I really close friend of mine died over the summer," Wally paused to blink again. "I miss her, and I can't stop thinking about her,"

A dramatic amount of weight seemed to lift right off of Wally's shoulders as he spilled his secret to Hunter. He felt somewhat relived that the secret was out.

Hunter looked at Wally with his eyes drenched with shock. "Oh…" he managed to say after a long pause.

Wally nodded, then continued. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I just didn't want for you to think of me as a charity case,"

"It's okay, it's okay," said Hunter quickly; still not being able to process what Wally had told him. "Can I ask how?"

Wally look away from Hunter. He hadn't planned on telling him anything else past the fact that his friend died. Sure, possibly seeing Artemis again was eating him up inside, but he needed to take baby steps with Hunter. They may have been good friends, but they had only known each other for a few weeks. "Car accident," he mumbled.

"I see," Hunter paused, than gently placed a hand on Wally's bicep. "I'm really sorry, bro,"

Wally nodded and tried to force a smile. "Thanks. And look, you don't have to tell me your end of the deal if you don't want to,"

Hunter retracted his hand from Wally's arm slowly – contemplating weather or not he _was_ ready. But fair was fair, and Wally had just confided in him. Time to repay the favor. Taking a deep breath himself, Hunter bit his lip some before clearing his throat and looking Wally right in the eye.

"I live with my aunt because…" Hunter paused to gently bit his quivering lip. "My dad… my dad went crazy and killed my mom. He's in jail right now, and my aunt was the closest family I had,"

Both of them simultaneously felt as though they were going to being to weep – weep for the ones they had lost to the world. Wally for Artemis, Hunter for his parent's, and both of them for each other and the losses they had experienced. But their testosterone told them to hold their tears in and only sit there quietly, so they did. Yet what a long time to sit there quietly it was. Neither moved and neither spoke for another 10 minutes. It wasn't until 10 minutes had passed that they finally reached out and gave each other the world biggest bro hug ever to be shared in human history. And to make sure it was still quite masculine, they broke by giving each other firm and tough slaps on the back to extracted the pain from their hearts and send it to their spins. It was in those slaps though were the silently promised not to ask any personal questions about their tragedies. They each sensed that the other wasn't truly ready to talk about anything yet, and felt it better to stay silent for the others sake.

"Thanks," said Wally.

"Same, bro," said Hunter.

Just as their 'bromatinc' moment came to a close, Wally's phone went off in his jacket pocket. Checking it, he saw he had a text message from his Uncle Barry.

"Come to the mountain. I need to talk with you,"

Wally sighed at the message. While he still met up with the team, he dreaded having to go back to the mountain where he knew everyone thought he was going crazy for claiming that Artemis was still alive. In all honesty, Wally did feel stupid for thinking so, but something in his heart was convinced that it was her – even though that part in question was also convinced that she was dead. Biding his friend farewell, he paced himself out of Hunter's house and promptly made his way to the mountain. Hoping that this 'talk' wasn't another mission. If it was, he knew he defiantly wasn't ready for it, not yet anyway.

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><p>Hunter watched Wally leave, but remained on his carpet for a few more minutes. Pulling a red mask out of his pocket, he scanned over it and let a few tears from his eyes drop onto the mask. Then, slowly and carefully, he placed the mask over his head and the tears stopped. For some reason, whenever he put on the mask, he felt invincible and in control. His past would evaporate from his mind and be replaced with vengeance. Behind his mask, Hunter felt free. Free enough to do whatever he wanted – weather it was joining the shadows or seeking revenge on anyone for what his father did…<p>

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><p>Wally arrived to the cave to see that he was, once again, the last to arrive. Only this time, it wasn't just the team in the main entrance to the cave; Batman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Captain Marvel, and Flash were all there waiting for him. And like it had been ever since Artemis' death, no one made a joke about how the fastest one of the team was always late. Instead, they got right into it.<p>

"A few days ago, some technology went missing from a high security lab in Florida. A computer program which allows the user to track magical activity anywhere in the world," Batman paused to call up a holographic screen of a gold computer disk. "It was stolen the same night you were all at the New Your Harbor,"

The team gasped in shock and anger. They were tricked. "How…?" asked Robin. His question was base, but he, and the rest of the young team, didn't know what to say.

"It seems as though the team you were fighting were just acting as a distraction for whoever stole this disk. We've analyzed the footage from the docks' security cameras and crossed referenced them with criminal databases," Batman pushed a button and called up the images taken more than a week ago of the team fighting the group of younger criminals who had no business working together in the first place. On the screens were Mammoth, Shimmer, Terror Twins, Icicle Jr., the boy known as Zoom, and a picture of a stack of crates with only a long orange braid flying out from behind them. "We believe that these young adults were just distracting you as to let another group of criminals steal the computer program,"

"So the question is: who were they distracting us from?" concluded Kaldur.

"We have some footage from the lab in Florida of the heist. It's very small, but just enough…" Batman's voice trailed off as a video began to play. It showed an ordinary lab for about two seconds before a man with green hair jumped out from the shadows and destroyed the camera. Batman quickly played the tape back and paused it at the right moment. Smiling his crazed smile was a man whose name was known around the world, and seen in their nightmares – the Joker. "And this-" Batman pulled a small glass jar from his pocket that had a thick and jagged green-leaf in it. " - Was found at the scene of the crime. The group identified it right away. The green leaf belonged to the person who had named themselves after it - Poison Ivy.

"The Joker, Poison Ivy…" thought Robin out-loud.

"The Injustice League!" resulted M'Gann. Her voice was notably less cheery then usual, but it had been like that ever since Artemis had passed away.

"That is what we believe," confirmed Batman and he placed the glass jar back in his pocket.

"So, if the guys _we_ were fighting were working from _them_… then are they like… some sort of Young _In_justice League?" asked Superboy. Batman nodded and Superboy scoffed. "Wonder were they got that idea from," he mumbled.

"Nevertheless," said Batman "We've got to-"

"Who's the girl?" asked Wally loudly. He hoped that by calling attention to her, the Dark Knight would find that something was off, and possibly prove (and confirm to Wally) that his lost love was still alive.

However, Batman just shrugged. "We don't know. We don't have any clear shots of her," Batman then called up a few images from the docks, all only had a few glimpses of the orange archer; a flying arrow, a strand of hair, nothing that would provide enough evidence to Wally or the others. "Like I was saying; the League will track the movements of the Injustice League, while the seven of you will monitor this new… 'team',"

Everyone nodded to Batman's request. Wally almost found himself smiling. He couldn't help but think that if they worked on this case together his suspicions would be confirmed once and for all. He so desperately wanted to know if Artemis was alive or not. If she was, he promised himself that he would run to the ends of the earth to find her. If she wasn't… well… Wally would just worry about that later.

Batman began to exit from the cave as the team started to disperse. Wally thought he'd trudge his way to the kitchen, but the feeling of a strong hand landed on his shoulder. Turning, he saw his Uncle staring back down at him.

"So, I hear you've encounter your Reverse-Flash," he said with a smile.

Wally cocked an eyebrow at him. "My what?"

Barry looked down at his young protégé. He then walked to the holographic computers and called up three images. "When Jay Garrick was the Flash, he battled The Rival," An image of a man wearing a darker version of the original Flash costume was made larger then the two other images. "He used his super-speed for evil, much like my Reverse-Flash, Professor Zoom," an image of a man wearing the reverse colors of the Barry's uniform was made larger then the other two. "Because they use their there speed for evil, this makes them the reverse of us. Your Reverse-Flash seems to be this Zoom character," an image of the boy Wally had fought a week ago was made lager then the other two. To be honest, Wally had this kid on his mind all week. He was confused as to how and why this young villain had obtained powers like him. "But, there's something different about this one…" commented Barry as he typed into the hollow graphic keyboard. The images disappeared and were replaced by footage of the docks.

"Different?" asked Wally as he watched himself fight his appointed at super-speed.

"Jay and I were looking over this footage together, and we don't think Zoom is using super-speed per-say," explained Barry as he slowed the footage down. Wally watched and noticed the difference as well. At first, Wally could see he and Zoom fighting at normal speed (in which everyone else was fight super slowly), but then, Zoom pulled a move in which for a brief second where he moved slightly faster then Wally. "The other Reverse-Flash's could only move as fast us as – this one can move… faster,"

Wally gulped. He was nowhere near the ability of the two Flash's before him. And if this Reverse-Flash was unlike anything they had seen before, Wally became fearful that he wouldn't be able to defeat him.

"We think he's… manipulating time-," explained Barry as he closed the screen. "Making everything around him slower – even you,"

"How?"

Barry took a moment to call up a video from the Flash Museum in Central City. It had been blown up a while ago, and was in the middle of being re-built. It was from the previous year, and Barry zoomed in on what looked like an ordinary treadmill. "Remember how my museum exploded last year?" asked Barry, trying to hide the slight disappointment in his voice.

Wally nodded. "I remember you telling me that you never figured out how it happened,"

Barry rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… I did. But I thought everyone from the accident was killed, and therefore I didn't need to go to the authorities about it," Barry played the image on screen. Wally watched as a person wearing all black snuck around the museum. This person was paralyzed as they were seen to be moving around on a wheel chair. Using their hands, the person crawled unto the treadmill artifact and pressed a few buttons. The treadmill began to move, then, suddenly, it exploded. Wally gasped a little as the footage cut out. "I invented that treadmill to give the ability to move forward and backward in time-" Barry stopped for a moment as he reminisced over his lost invention. "I guess that this – person – used it poorly and caused it to self-destruct. I don't know how or why, but it happened," Barry closed the screen and approached Wally. "But now I think that – whoever that person was – tried to go back in time and get their legs back. And seeing this Reverse-Flash use time manipulation, only makes me think that he caused the accident, and got effected by the time streamed when it happened,"

Wally concluded the rest. "So you think that the person who broke into the museum last year is this Zoom guy," Barry nodded to confirm Wally's accusations - causing for Wally to have a mini panic attack. Now Wally was really scared. He was great at all forms of science, but time manipulation was something he was always confused by. And now, this Zoom character was using it against him. Barry looked at Wally's face, and rested his hand on his shoulder. He could detected when Wally was nervous or scared about something, and understood that, as a mentor, it was up to him to help him. "How do I… defeat him?" asked Wally, his voice shaking.

"You've always fought others using your speed against them," began Barry. "So I will teach you how Jay and I defeated our Reverse-Flash's. But, he's not exactly using super-speed, so that's why…" Barry paused and looked down at his feet – blowing a hefty amount of air out of his nose. Wally shot him a puzzled looked – confused at Barry's hesitation. Looking back up at his young apprentice, Barry said; "You're going to _have_ to learn how to vibrate your molecules,"

Wally went wide-eyed and step back. Every time he tried that, it would result in a bloody nose. That skill was far from his level of training – almost to the point where he was to scared to try it. Barry sighed and took a step towards his nephew. "I know it's… difficult for you," he said, trying to comfort his terrified sidekick. "But since Zoom can manipulate time, he cannot vibrate his molecules. That's his weakness – that gives you the potential advantage," he added with a warm smile. Wally still looked worried though. It was an eerie concept; making one's self vibrate to the extent where you could even walk through walls. If one thing went wrong, Wally could literally be stuck inside the wall and crushed to death. Barry embraced Wally in a hug and patted him on the back. "We'll train every day – starting small and working our way up. You'll get it, and the next time you see Zoom, you'll be ready,"

Wally nodded and followed his mentor to the training room, being sure to pick up a box of tissues on the way for the unavoidable nose bleeds. Now adding this new training to his mental list of things to worry about, Wally tried to focus on the other task at hand – figuring out who that girl was and, possibly, getting Artemis back for good.

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><p><strong>For those who want more fluff, it's coming, so don't give up on me yet!<strong>

**That being said, I would like some REVIEWS!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Good Golly! I've surpassed 100 reviews! Thanks to all who review! It's your words that keep me writing! Keep 'em coming!**

**To afterfake13: Tuppence does have super strength. But when I was writing that chapter, I wanted to divid the hits as equally as possible :).**

**To all: Enjoy this next bit!**

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><p>Another day, another torture session with Black Adam.<p>

Today's workout: an Easter egg hunt. Black Adam has hidden a golden sphere somewhere on the island and we have to find it. Winner gets the afternoon off.

Basically, it's every man for himself and the stakes are high. I wouldn't be surprised if someone was killed today. I just hope its Zoom. It's really unfair – he has a total advantage over us! He could have lapped the island a couple of times before we even start looking. But lucky for me, I have something that he, nor the rest of the team has.

Common fucking sense.

The others went off and looked around the base camp, I went out and looked around the forrest. Knowing Black Adam, he wouldn't have put the egg in plane sight.

And sure enough, I found the egg. I stand with it now – cupping it carefully in my hands. It's a rather beautiful thing. Hopefully, I'll get to keep it.

"This little Kitty's got some tracking skills,"

Zoom. Why does he always have to ruin my 'me' time - or any time for that matter? "Congrates on finding the egg, Tigress," he says, approaching me with that grin I so despise.

"Oh, man!" a cry from the bushes alerts Zoom and me that the Terror twins are in our presence. And sure enough, they step out of the bushes with irate looks on their faces.

"You've got to be kidding me!" growls Shimmer as she and Mammoth also reveal themselves from behind a large tree. "I've got twenty thrones up my ass and nothing to show for it," she whines.

I shrug "What can I say? I have a gift,"

Shimmer sighs and nods her head shamefully. The boys do so as well. Tuppence, however, is less then amused. In fact, she's down right glaring at me. "Not for too long. Tommy, get the egg!" she commands.

Me, along with the rest of the team, stand there puzzled. Tuppence has tried to challenge me once with her brothers bruit strength knowing that if the Count ever found out, he'd probably kick her off the team if not torture her to death.

Tommy's look is the most puzzled of all as he gapes at his sisters. "Are you crazy lil' sis'? Count Vertigo will-"

"Oh shut up, you!" she spits to her brothers face. "I've got half a mind to tell pop about your lil' secret if you don't do as I say!" she yells, jabbing an abnormally strong finger into his chest.

Tommy's face goes beat red with both shock and humiliation. "Y-you wouldn't," he tries to act tough, but everyone can see the power Tuppence has over Tommy. Blackmailing her own brother? Now she's officially a certified bitch.

"A secret?" asks Zoom. "Do tell,"

A smirk cracks itself on Tuppence's face as she glances back to her brother. Tommy isn't getting mad at Tuppence - more or less begging her not to say a word. Every moral fiber left in my body tells me to stop this bitch from saying – whatever it is she has to say about her brother. But the part of me that makes me my father's daughter tells me to let her reveal his secrets – only to use them against him later if and when I switch sides again. It makes me sick to think this way, but around here; that's how you survive.

Tuppence smiles one last time at Tommy before stepping forward. With her hands on her hips, she uses her thumb to gesture to the red-faced boy she calls family. "Tommy Terror over there is one of them special types – he prefers the sausage to the bun if y'all know what I mean," Nobody did, but I had a feeling I knew where this was going. Tuppence cocks her eyebrow at everyone's lack of reaction. "Queerer then a three-dollar bill?" she says, trying again. There is no reaction, but now I know, and I really hope she doesn't say it. She frowns "He's a faggot you nimrods,"

Most of the team reacts the same way. The all gasped loudly – each with their mouths spreading into a surprised smile. Tommy frowns harshly at his sister, but Tuppence ignores it. Instead, she gives him a taunting wink.

Me? Personally, I think I should have known. I don't know why, but there was something about him that told me he wasting shooting straight. Now I know it's in the literal sense…

But I still can't believe what Tuppence is doing. Now she and the others are mocking Tommy and, frankly, it's disgusting what they're doing. The only one who isn't joining in is Mammoth – but that's really because he can't talk.

"That explains the tight pants then, huh?" laughs Shimmer.

Zoom laughs and wraps an arm around Tommy. "But seriously, do you have a crush on anybody on the team?"

Tommy throws his arm down and continues to glare at his sister. "Yup!" says Tuppence. "It's you, Zoom. When you first joined the team, I could see it right away!" The laughs get louder as Tommy's face gets redder – both anger and humiliation mixed together. "In fact! Remember when you threatened to put that arrow up his butt?" asks Tuppence as she points to me. I refuse to play her game, so I maintain a stone face. "He was actually excited about that!"

Before Tuppence can laugh again, Tommy lunges towards her and knocks her to the ground with a punch so violent it would have shattered the bones of anyone else. Tuppence is taken by such surprise that she had no time to prepare for his next attack – which is a roundhouse kick to the face – that sends her back down to the ground.

Nobody says a word. Instead, they all gape as Tommy beats his sister to a pulp. As much as I'd like to see that little shit get the crap kick out of her, I nod to Mammoth, who halts the fight right away by trapping Tommy in his arms.

"Enough," I say. My voice was quite, but just loud enough for everyone to hear. Tommy squirms a bit, but eventually lets his body relax. When Mammoth puts him back down, everyone stares at him – all are surprised by his actions. He was known amongst the team as the defender of his sister. Now, he was seen as almost tyrannical as Tuppence struggles to recover. Violence was common in the group, but never like this.

As if almost on cue, Icicle Jr. emerges from the bushes. "Whoa," he pants. "Are you guys teaming up or-" he paused when he notices the shocked stares and dead silence. "Did I miss something?" Tommy growls and buds harshly past Icicle Jr., almost causing for the ice-boy to fall over. "Hey! What's your problem?" calls Icicle in an annoyed tone. When he turns to the group, he smiles at me. "Hey! You found the egg!" he cheers. Everyone rolls their eyes.

Tuppence spits out a wad of blood and coughs some as she struggles to get up. Mammoth turns to me – silently asking if he should assist her. I look to Tuppence, and, once again, I feel my father's genetics acting up. It's sickening, but I like this – I like how she finally got what she deserved. I shake my head at Mammoth, who looks surprised at my actions.

"I'll tell you one thing," says Tuppence "Father's going to-"

"Your father," I snap, "Will never know,"

A puzzled stare from the team, and a deadly and threatening glare from Tuppence. "What do you mean?" she snarls.

"I mean that if you tell anyone ever again about your brothers sexuality, I will ask him to finish the job," As I looked down at Tuppence, I can see the fear in her eyes. She knows I'll keep my word, but she shields her fear with a threatening look on her face. I gaze over the others. "And that goes for all of you as well. If anyone from the League finds out about Tommy, I will ensure that you will never again see the light of day,"

I don't know what it is. Maybe I feel really bad for Tommy, or maybe I-I just love this power. But something is coming over me. I have always gained fear through being superior – no violence necessary. But as I stand before them and look at the stunned and petrified looks on their faces, I feel the power. Power that I've never wanted nor felt before. And I won't lie, it feels pretty good. Hell, even Zoom has shut up – amazing!

What am I saying? I'm turning into them! I'm becoming my father! Artemis would never wish pain upon anyone, but I don't know about Tigress… what's happening to me?

Saving face, I walk into the general direction where Tommy stomped off. Behind me I hear Icicle Jr. ask "Tommy is gay?"

I find Tommy a moment later. He is sitting in my usually spot – feet hanging over a cliff, and eyes gazing at the sunset. He'll probably yell at me, if not run off, when I approach him. If I want to talk to him, I have to make him still.

Reaching into my quiver, I pull out a net arrow. "Sorry big buy," I say as I take my aim.

The net easily entraps Tommy and keeps him pinned to the ground. When I confirm that he is stable, I emerge from the trees. I see him squirming around and growling. "What the hell y'doing?" he demands in a gusto of fury.

I stand over him, bow still in hand. "That net is strong enough to hold anything. If you want to be free, you'll listen to me-" we both pause: He is waiting for me to speak, and I am trying to think of something to say. I was never good at consoling people (hell, just look at Tommy now), but I figure I should say something. "I want to talk," is the best I can come up with.

Tommy's eyes dart around the area in a confused manner – trying to look anywhere else but at me. He's probably ashamed that I trapped him so easily. "What do you mean?" he asks.

I sit myself down next to Tommy's flailing body. "Talk. You know, the thing normal people do,"

His eyes give him away – he knows what I'm referring to, but his face seems to refuse the fact that, unlike any other criminal he's known – I want to settle this in a civilized manner. "About?" he asks through gridded teeth.

I pause to bite my lip. Should I be acting this nice? This act of kindness could give me away in a second… what the hell? I'll just make-up some bullshit lie to Count Vertigo later. Right now, I need to feel like a good person again. It's been so long that I've actually been a decent human. I'm not about to be just like everyone else in my family. "About what just happened,"

He growls again, but then his body relaxes. "You saw it. What's it to ya?"

"Look, call me a _emotional_ if you want to, but I think we should talk about it. Weather you like it or not," I say with a tome of superiority.

He stars at me one last time. "Fine." Tommy is such a push-over. I release him from the net and we both sit with our legs hanging over the edge of the cliff. We sit there for a few moments. He is once again waiting for me to begin. But honestly, I don't even know were to start. "… well?"

I take in a deep breath and ask the first questions that pops into my mind. "Is it true?"

He rips his eyes away from me. He frowns for a moment, but then softly closes his eyes. "… yes," Shame rings throughout his voice. Poor guy. No one should have to feel shame about who they are.

Now it's time for the second obvious question. "When did you figure it out?"

"Ever since my sis' and I joined the team," that explains it. Tommy would have confided in his sister (knowing how close they are) the second he found out.

"And we're the only ones who know," I clarify. He nods. I feel really bad for Tommy. He can't even find the courage to tell his own family. It's the same with all of these young criminals. They're intimidated by their elders to become something terrible. It's unforgivable for families to keep such personal secrets from each other – then again, who am I to judge? I blurt out another question: "Why do you hide it?"

Tommy looks at me like I have three heads. "Are you crazy?" he asks "You saw what those guys did to me back there, imagine that – but worse. My pa would kill me if he found out," he squeezes his hands together in embarrassment and rage.

"And that's why you respond to all of Tuppence' demands," I mutter.

He nods his head again. "She can take care of herself easily. But why should she do it when he fag brother can do it for her," he says the word 'fag' like it's poisoning his mouth. He completely hates himself for who he is. I've always hatred Tuppence more then any other being – but today, I can't even find a word the describe how much I loath her. Shame on her for what's she's done and is doing to Tommy. He can't even find refuge in his own sister. Hell, none of us can.

I should console him better. I hesitate at first, but I eventually place a hand on his back. He becomes completely stiff when he feels my hand. He's probably not use to kind human interaction. "I understand what you're going through, but almost killing your sister isn't right," even though I wish you did. "I don't care who we are or what we do – she is your family whether you like it or not," God, I'm one to talk. "I told the team not tell. So whenever you're ready to embrace it, we'll back you up," I stand from his side and begin to walk away – feeling slightly proud of my actions.

"Why are you being nice? You know they'll-"

"You think I give a shit about 'them'?" I ask as we both refer to the Injustice League. "They can punish me if they want, but I was helping out a teammate. I don't see any reason why they would complain," he smiles at me and turns to face the ocean. I take my leave and had back to base.

Unlike what I said to Tommy, I can think of 100 reasons why they would complain. I'm supposed to be a criminal now – that is until I find my-

"Still have a soft spot I see,"

Jade. I can't see her, but I can recognize that voice anywhere.

I feel my heart stop beating for a brief moment. Why is she here? What if she knows my plan?

"How did you get here?" I ask the forest. A moment later, she jumps from a tree branch. I am now face to face with her. "Wotan-"

"Can put all of the spells on the place he wants, because it doesn't matter now. We have that program, remember?" she asks with a wink. The program that detects magic! Of course!

"So it was for the Shadows all along? What about the Injustice League-?"

"Our master," she says referring to Ra's al Ghul "And Wotan are close. What Wotan has, we have access to," she explains. A smile, as big as the one on her mask, spread across her face. "I've missed you, sis. I like who we're on the same side. I wish we were working together though…" he voice trails off, as if she feels some shame in disagreeing with her 'master's' decisions. Still, it's nice to know that she kind of cares about me. I only wish it was for different reasons.

However, I know better. Even now, she wouldn't just come to see me because she felt like it. She's here for a reason. "I suppose you didn't come just for a visit," I say flatly.

He smile drops a bit. Is she ashamed? … Probably not. "As you know, this whole Jr. team thing was issued by the Shadows. They're coming by tomorrow to give you instructions on your next assignment," she elucidates.

The Shadows? "I thought the League was suppose to send us on assignments,"

"They are, and they will. But you must instruct the others to follow the instructions of the Shadows and not the ones of the League. The League will be indifferent to your actions, but you must follow the Shadows carefully," she stresses the word 'carefully' as if to highlight it's importance to me. "They sent me to tell your team, but I was lucky enough to find you first. Be a dear and tell them for me? I need to get some other things done," she smiles and begins to walk in an aimless direction. "Make sure that the team is ready. The Shadows will be displeased if they are not," she stops in her tracks and turns to face me. "I should also warn you – dad is coming,"

Dad. Our father. I feel like an arrow hit me right in the stomach. I want to ask Jade if she's serious, but she has disappeared.

Dad. I'm not ready for him.

I've spent months waiting for my opportunity, and now, I feel unprepared.

I can't just attack him in front of the Shadows and the team. But this may be the last chance I ever see him again.

Sitting on an old tree stump, I ponder my options – but there aren't many. I could either take a huge chance in capturing him on the island, or waiting till our next meeting; one that might never happen.

I rub my temples with the tips of my fingers. Kaldur would know what to do. Hell, so would Robin. This was a mistake. I should have brought them… no. I couldn't risk it. Unlike my father and sister, I actually care about my old team.

Imagine that? I'm the first Crock girl to care about others, and I through it all away to protect them. Daddy would be so disappointed.

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><p><strong>I know I promised fluff in the last chapter, but this chapter turned out to be too long for me to add the scene. But I promise, fluff will be in the next chapter.<strong>

**That is, if you REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey. Chapter. Here. Enjoy.**

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><p>It was quite surprising to Wally that bright red blood could show up so easily on fabric that was the same colour. He understood that dry blood becomes darker than fresh blood, but it still stunned him how vibrant the streak of blood was on his glove every time he wipe away a fresh batch off his nose.<p>

Training with Uncle Barry hadn't been going as planned. Wally's attempts to vibrate his molecules were still a huge challenge and he was rarely able to do it. The few time he could actually vibrate himself fast enough only lasted for a few mere moments – defiantly not long enough to actually pass through a standard wall. He could get himself through thin glass and paper, but not wood or stone.

Barry was a very patient mentor, and consistently told Wally that he was progressing much faster then expected. In fact, Barry also told him that it took him years to figure it out for himself.

But Wally was less than amused. For he didn't have 'years'. He had to learn to defend himself from Zoom now. Otherwise, there wouldn't be another chance for Wally to try. The only positive side Wally saw to his lessons was that he quickly learned how to fight at super speed, rather than use super speed to fight. However, he knew that it could only help him to an extent. Walking through walls might save his life.

"I think that's enough for today, kid," said Barry as he handed Wally the last tissue from the box. Wally pinched his nose with the tissue and tilted his head forward, waiting for the flow to stop. "We'll pick up from where we left off tomorrow,"

"No!" said Wally sounding quite congested from pinching his nose. "I can do it today!"

Barry rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his protégé bleed profusely from his nose. The trash can in the corner of the training room was over-flowing with tissues that were drenched in Wally's scarlet blood, and their weren't any left for another failure. But one thing Barry knew about Wally was his determination. Even if Barry left, Wally would still try to get the skill down. "Alright," he said quietly. "One more try,"

Wally wiped the last little drop away from his nose and stood up straight. His feet were shoulder-width apart, and his arms were tense as his fists were clenched tightly. "Relax your body, Wally. We've talked about this," Barry reminded. Wally nodded and relaxed his shoulders. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "Now, concentrate," said Barry in a whisper. Wally concentrated. He concentrated on moving his molecules rather than moving his body. It was tough to separate speed from movement, but he had to try – he had to get it. After a second or two of standing still, he began to feel his whole body shake. It was light at first, but it started to build as he concentrated harder and harder on the task at hand. "You're almost there Wally, just a little faster," encouraged Barry. At the sound of his mentor's voice, Wally felt himself becoming faster. So fast that he could-

"Team. Report to the debriefing room immediately,"

The sound of Batman's voice over the PA system broke Wally's focus. The speedster suddenly stopped and collapsed to the ground out of pure tiredness and shock. Barry rushed to the side of his fallen student, but Wally just pushed him away. "I was so close!" yelled Wally infuriated as he punched the ground firmly with his fist.

"It's okay," consoled Barry as he patted Wally on the back. "You'll get it next time,"

"What if there isn't a next time?" challenged Wally. "What if Zoom gets to me before I learn?"

Barry sighed and helped Wally off the ground. "You're ready to take on Zoom with speed. That will help you fend him off until-"

"I can't just 'fend him off'! I need to defeat him!" with that Wally stormed out of the training room and began to stomp towards the debriefing area. Left behind was his mentor – wishing that could help Wally. He tried all that he could, but he new the young boy was too effect from Artemis' death to master the skill. Barry knew that one day Wally would get it, but he prayed that the day would come sooner. For he himself was also scared of this Zoom character as it was his time manipulation that could baffle all speedster's in years to come. Barry sighed again and made his way to the zeta tubes. If only Wally could move on from Artemis', then, with the right training, he could be better then the two previous Flash's. After all, both Barry and Jay knew that there was something special about Wally – something so special that it was only a matter of time before he could best the Flash's before him.

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><p>Perhaps I should bitch to people more often. Or at least threaten everybody all the time.<p>

Ever since the scene with Tommy, it's been quite around here. No whining from the girls, no flirts from the boys, just peace and quite.

And no word from the Injustice League either. Good thing too, I'm in no way shape or form able to jeopardize my position. Not now, not when he's coming.

Dad. Even thinking the word makes me want to gag.

But tonight, he's going to be here. And I still don't know what to do. I can't take him, but waiting for another opportunity is too much of a gamble.

My team and I sit in the debriefing area of the base – awaiting for the Shadow's to give us instruction.

"What do you think they want?" asks Zoom with a quivering voice. Zoom is the most nervous of us all. He is the only member of our team who was indirectly inducted by the Shadows to be here. He was sent a holographic message from Ra's, then had a meeting with Count Vertigo. Everyone else here has a connection, or had a meeting with Ra's like me. Zoom doesn't know what to expect – but, at the same time, neither do we. So everyone else turns their heads in my direction at the sound of his question.

"J-…" crap. Don't call her by her real name! Call her by her code name! "Cheshire just gave me the message. I know no more than you do,"

"For now, anyway,"

The team scampers to their feet and places their right first over their chests as the bow their heads. Zoom follows their actions as he is still unaware of what to do and how to act. I stand, then turn to place that recognizable voice to a face. Entering the room is Ra's al Ghul and a few people dressed in black. Next to him, is Sportsmaster.

Better known to me as 'dad'.

His mask is probably covering a smug grin. He's happy to see that I'm on his side now. Bastard. Just you wait.

I meet eyes Ra's al Ghul. He smiles lightly at me and nods his head. Now, here comes the part I hate. "Master," I say with a bow of my own head. The rest of the team takes my greeting as a cue to lift their own heads. "Cheshire said you had an assignment for us,"

Ra's al Ghul leans over to Sportsmaster. "I like this girl. She gets right down to business," he whispers loud enough for me to hear. Sportsmaster… dad - nods and resumes his standing position. He's probably happier then a dung beetle in a pile of shit…, which he is.

"You have proven yourselves with your actions at the Harbor," starts Ra's. "The computer program stolen was to ensure that no one could find this island. You see, it is not only a living and training space for you, it is also used for shipping and containing some of our weapons. Our latest weapon is a devices that can shift the plates of the earth, causing a global earthquake that would hit a level ten on the Richter Scale. An earthquake so great, it can set off any and all explosive charges in any and all countries simultaneously,"

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><p>When the team was gathered in the debriefing room, Batman began. "A shipment of weaponry was deployed from China yesterday. However, the boat's coordinates do not show up on any map or main frame," A holographic map appeared before the team, showing them a red dotted line that lead from China to the middle of the ocean around a cluster of islands from Hawaii. "We had Zatara track any magical activity, and he picked up a cloaking spell in this location," A red dot appeared in the middle of the islands over a mass amount of water. "You will investigate the shipment, and report back to the Justice League if there is any strange activity," explained Batman.<p>

"Like there won't be," joked Robin. Most of the team smiled, it was nice to see the Robin was almost back to being his normal self.

Wally didn't. He felt like something was off. "Do you think this has anything to do with the program that was stolen?" he blurted out.

There was a stunned pause in the room, but then Batman nodded. "We think so. Someone is trying to hide this shipment with magic. Without the program, no one could find them. We are lucky to have a magician on our side,"

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><p>"There should be no interferences," says Ra's al Ghul confidently. "However, we know not to undermine our opponents. Tomorrow the Injustice League will tell you to train through the night instead of guard the shipment, but we would like for you watch for any… suspicious movement,"<p>

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><p>"Does this have anything to do with the team we fought the same night the program was stolen?" asked Robin. Wally's eyes went wide. That idea crossed his mind, but not to a full extent.<p>

"Possibly," said Batman. "It is questionable how they would stage a theft on the same night another was occurring. It could, however, just be a coincidence,"

But Wally was already convinced. Artemis was there. He knew it. He just knew it. Then another thought crept into his mind – one that made him turn from hopeful to fearful – Zoom would be there as well.

* * *

><p>"The weapon will be assembled on this island, and kept here in a safe location. You have your instructions; I hope that none of you disappoint me," Ra's al Ghul turns to leave, but stops. Cocking his head slightly to the side, he says one last thing to us: "I should make you aware that there are a few parts to this weapon that are rather explosive. If any of them activate before the weapon is assembled, you will only have 10 minutes to get off the island before it turns into nothing more than a pile of rocks," with an evil cackle, he begins to walk again. "Sleep well tonight," what an asshole.<p>

When he has exited from the room, I watch as my teammates make for their private quarters. They looked scared shitless. It takes at least 15 minutes to evacuate from the center of the island. If any of them are in the base if the weapon detonates, they will surely parish. I begin to take my leave when something stops me. A strong hand that prevents me from moving forward. I know this hand. This hand used to slap me across the face as a child. This hand punched me in the shoulder as I learned how to fight back. This hand is attached to my first teacher and tormentor. It is one of the hands of my fathers.

"Tigress is a good name. I like it a lot better then your old one," jokes my father. Jokes on him, _he_ named me Artemis. "Before I go, I wanted to say how proud I am of you. You finally got your priorities straighten out, and joined the side where you belong,"

My can't keep my teeth from grinding together in anger. No one is here with us, but the shadows still lurk about the island. Jerk. He has the nerve to lay a hand on me in a loving way. Thank god my mask can cover my angry eyes.

"Thanks dad," I manage to say.

"I'll be here tomorrow, over looking the shipment. I can't wait t see you in action. Especially when you're fighting along side your sister and me," He pats my shoulder, and leaves me without another word.

As I watch him go, I scowl.

Tomorrow. Perfect. I'll get him tomorrow. Tomorrow I can end this and go back to my old life. Back to Wally. Back to where I really belong.

But deep down, in my heart, I realize something. When... If I go back, nothing would ever be the same. I will have been resurrected... where do those people go?

So the question is: Where do I go back to? Where do I belong?

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><p><strong>So, you probably want to kill me now. <strong>

**I promised you fluff and I didn't deliver. For that, I am terribly sorry!**

**But I swear; next chapter, their will be a moment! If not, I'll leave my home address on the next chapter, and you can come punch my in the jaw. **

**Till then, REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 13

**You asked for it, I promised it, here it is! Some of that fluffy stuff we all love. Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>Over the past month or so, Wally had become the Gotham flower shop's favorite customer. He had visited Artemis' tomb every Saturday, and made a point of laying a bouquet of fresh flowers at the headstone. Sure, it started to make an impact on his wallet, but they were for Artemis – in his eyes, nothing was too good for her.<p>

Today was a little different. Instead of purchasing a dozen lilies or an arrangement of assorted flowers, he arrived at the graveyard with only a single red rose in hand. The bright scarlet color of the rose stood out beautifully against the lush green grass and brown dead leaves.

Carefully, Wally laid the rose at the headstone and took a few steps back to admire its beauty. Wally recalled being at the shop, specifically instructing the shopkeeper to not trim the thorns off. They reminded him of _her_. They reminded him of her toughness and strength – and how she was always guarded.

Wally rubbed his hipbone. He had a gym class the other day, and they were instructed to run for twenty minutes. Kid Flash could do that easily, but Wally West had the secret to hide. To ensure that suspicion was avoided, Wally had to go a slow as he could, which severely agitated his muscles. At least he wasn't as bad as Hunter who had fallen far behind and asked the teacher to sit out from being winded. Wally chuckled. He didn't mean to mock his friend; he just was surprised at how the fastest boy alive befriended the slowest one.

But none of that matter now. What matter was the fact that he was almost sure that this was going to be his last visit to the graveyard. Tonight, he would be going on the mission to the mysterious location in Hawaii, and he was sure that she was there.

My God, was he sure.

Wally had obsessed over the facts for a day now, barely getting enough sleep the night before. However, he had thoroughly convinced himself that he didn't need sleep, and was shaky with anticipation. "I know you're not dead Artemis. I'm sure of it," said Wally. "I'm going to come and find you tonight. And when I do, I'll never let you go again,"

Over top of him, Wally felt the bioship fly over and M'Gann waiting to levitate him up. He was already in uniform and ready to go. He just needed to see it one last time. He needed to see the headstone that would be destroyed the second he got home. He then nodded up at M'Gann, and felt his body gently float upwards and into the bioship. With one last look, he sighed. "See you soon Artemis,"

When he was secured in his seat between Roy and Zatanna, the bioship began to fly. "Destinations are set," said M'Gann. Confidence was drifting back to her voice after being absent for so long. She sounded ready for this mission, unlike the previous ones where she had just remained quite. Sessions with Black Canary were starting to work for her, as slowly she began forgiving herself for the events that caused Artemis to parish.

Kaldur nodded, and turned his chair to face the rest of the teens. He two was starting to regain his confidence as leader. After long months of sulking, he had faith that this mission could bring the remaining members of the team together again. "Alright team – lets review the plan,"

Wally could hear Kaldur talking, but he wasn't really paying attention. For some reason, his mind drifted off. It drifted to a memory, which he had tried hard to forget, as it only filled him up with guilt. It filled him with guilt, because, looking back on it now, there were warning signs – warning signs that something horrible, yet preventable, were going to occur later that day. Because of this memory, Wally felt as though he could have preventing a lot of things from happening, but they did so anyway. It was the memory of the afternoon before Artemis died…

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><p>"<em>Ouch! Careful!" screeched Wally as Artemis plucked another splinter from his shoulder. The team had just got back from a simple robbery alert and were successful in brining down the thief. While everyone else was pleased with their performance, Wally was slightly embarrassed. His uniform had caught onto a rusty nail and tore at the shoulder. Later that evening, he fell and glided along an old piece of wood, covering his bare shoulder with splinters.<em>

_Artemis placed the small strip of wood to the side and started working on another piece. Wally glanced over and noticed there was a small pile of about 10 strips of wood. "Stop acting like a cry-baby. We're half way done," sneered Artemis. _

_Wally frowned. He was hoping that Robin could have taken the splinters out… or anyone else for that matter. But M'Gann didn't know how to handle earth wounds like these, Superboy refused, Kaldur's webbed hands wouldn't have helped, and Robin was summoned by Batman – or at least, that's what he had told Wally. The redhead didn't cross out the possibility that the bird boy was lurking about – trolling the scene to the best of his abilities. That's why Wally kept glancing over his good shoulder, trying to keep an eye out for him. "And if you don't hold still-" said Artemis as she yanked out another splinter. "This will be longer and harder for the both of us,"_

_Wally was in pain, but he never missed an opportunity. "That's what she said," he smiled. To his surprise, Artemis didn't sneer. Instead, she giggled. It was light and soft – Wally almost didn't hear it – but the slight smile on her face gave it away._

_He felt himself smiling to when he realized that he was the cause of her happiness. He wasn't ready to admit it yet, but the two of them were getting closer. Not so much in the 'friends' way, more in the way that they could tolerate each other. _

_Wally took the time to watch her technique. He had noticed lately that she was pretty good at first aid. And not just the basic stuff. "It's a good thing you're good with your hands," he noted. "Otherwise this would really hurt,"_

_Artemis smiled mischievously and looked him in the eyes. "That's what _he_ said," A second later, they were both sharing a hardy laugh – cackling like idiots at the over-used joke. _

"_Since when did you become so funny?" asked Wally._

"_You're saying I haven't always been a riot?" she challenged. _

_Wally snickered lightly. "No, you're a hoot,"_

_I brief moment passed when the two sat in comfortable silence. The occasional grunt came from Wally when Artemis pulled out another splinter, but silence was still dominant. "Thanks by the way," said Wally. "For doing this," he said, using his head to gesture to his injured shoulder._

"_Don't mention it," she said dismissively. "I'm just helping out a teammate. If you had gotten this injury off your own stupidity, then I would have let you suffer," she joked. Wally didn't retaliate – instead he let himself laugh again._

"_Well then, I'm a lucky guy – knowing you have my back,"_

_Wally wouldn't notice it, but Artemis took a slight pause. A pause where her smile fell and her eyes became focused on something else. Something that was occurring in her mind. Without drawing attention to herself, she continued her task at hand – her arms a littler shakier than before. _

_Wally didn't notice because he was thinking about something else. He was thinking about how much he didn't know about her. She was a mystery to him. A mystery that he didn't seem to care about until this moment. "Tell me about yourself, Artemis,"_

_Artemis bit her lip. "I hate white-chocolate,"_

"_That doesn't count,"_

"_Then what do you want to know?"_

_Wally thought. There was one thing that had been pressing on his mind since the first day they met. "What's your last name?"_

_Artemis paused. This time, Wally noticed. He couldn't understand why she was so protective about her identity. The only other member of the team like that was Robin – but he was under 'Bat-Law'. He heard her gulp, and watched her return to work. "It's stupid," she said, forcing a giggle._

"_No one can have a stupid last name," Wally commented with a giggle of his own._

"_You'd be surprised," They both laughed again._

_Wally decided to drop the subject. He knew better than to push Artemis's buttons – especially when she was treating him. So instead, he let his feet dangle over the side of the table that he was sitting on in the kitchen. "Is West a stupid last name?" he asked – somewhat desperate to get the conversation started up again. To his surprise, he was beginning to like talking to her._

"_West," she repeated in a gentle voice. A voice that made Wally breakout with goose bumps. "'West' is a good last name. Wouldn't attach it to 'Wally' though…" she teased._

_Wally laughed. "Tell you what," he began. "When you're ready to tell me your last name, we'll trade,"_

"_Trust me, you don't want my last name. We'll both have 'West'," she decided._

"_What – like relatives?" _

"_Nah… I'd have to dye my hair orange," she laughed._

"_And what's wrong with that?" he challenged. _

"_It'd look weird on me,"_

"_No it wouldn't,"_

_She gave him a small smile and returned to work. _

_Wally gave her a smile back. He wouldn't say it out loud, but there was one other option in which the two could share a last name – marriage. Yet, he wouldn't _dare_ say that out loud. After all, they were just becoming… tolerable towards each other. "… And done!"_

_Dusting her hands off, Artemis reached for a small container of anti-biotic cream and applied it to Wally's shoulder. Wally admired her work – not recalling feeling any pain for the last few that she plucked out. "Not bad," he complimented._

"_You were expecting anything less than excellence?" she questioned._

"_Team: Report to the debriefing room. I have another assignment for you," said the Dark Knight as his voice boomed over the system. _

"_Already?" complained Wally as he pulled his mask over his head. They hadn't even had the time to take off their uniforms from the last mission. Artemis didn't seem to show any emotion. In fact – Wally wouldn't notice this either – but she looked really nervous. Artemis pulled her mask up as they began to walk to the debriefing room. _

_They were almost there when she slowed her pace, causing for Wally to slow his as well. "Um… Wally,"_

"_Yeah?" he said, absentmindedly. _

_She came to a complete stop before continuing her sentence. "I just wanted to say that… you've been – um – you are a really good friend,"_

_Wally felt himself blush a little. "Me? Your friend? Is this the apocalypse?" he joked. _

"_Shut up, you know what I mean," she chuckled as she punched him playfully in the arm. "I just… I thought I'd share in case anything happens on the mission,"_

_Wally shrugged. "If anything happens, I've got your back,"_

* * *

><p>And that's where he left it. The last time I ever saw him, and that's where he left it. "<em>I've got your back<em>," The was the last thing he said to me, and he meant it to.

I know he did.

I sit uncomfortably on a rock at the top of my viewing cliff. The rest of my team is currently scattered around the island – detecting any movement that might occur during tonight's trade. I can see the bought in question off in the horizon. It should be here in about fifteen minutes.

Which means the other team will be here in about sixteen.

I don't get it – how is it that I finally have a chance to see my father after all this time, and now my plan stands in the brink of destruction. The team, my father, and the Shadows will all be here tonight – not to mention my new team.

My plan?

Fuck, I don't have one.

The best I can hope for is that I can get my father alone for a few seconds, and then find some bloody way off this island. But that's a stretch.

For the first time in a while, I feel something happening to me. A small glitch in my stomach starts making its way up into the depths of my heart, then into the sockets of my eyes. Then, a salty drop of water drops onto my cheek.

I'm crying.

I haven't cried for ten years.

I'm crying because this is probably the biggest mess of my life and it's all my fault.

I didn't ask for a horrible father! I didn't ask to be a some superhero team! All I wanted was to get away – and now look where I am.

But there's no point in crying now. The boat is ten minutes away – so the team is eleven minutes from here.

It's time to prepare for an improvised plan.

It's now or never.

* * *

><p><strong>And so it begins. The beginning of the end!<strong> **Dun, dun, DUN!**

**As for you, it's time to REVIEW! (Hey, I'm a poet, and I didn't even know it!)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Heeeeeeeeeere's A Chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>"Approaching destination in 2 minutes," announced M'Gann – her eyes fixed on the monitor, and her head already in the game. The team, however, was quite distracted. They knew that something was there, and magic was hiding it. Yet, as they approached the coordinates that Batman gave them, all they could see was a huge red boat drifting aimlessly at sea.<p>

"Zatanna," said Kaldur "ensure that there is a magical presences here," he commanded.

Zatanna nodded and focused her attention on the empty space ahead of them. Lucky for her, she didn't need a spell to pick up a magical presence – she could just sense it. After a few seconds of concentrating, her face began to scrunch-up. Then, she gently placed her left palm on her forehead. "Yes, there's something there," she grunted out.

Everyone noticed the sound of discomfort in her voice. "You okay, Zee?" asked Robin concerned.

"Yeah… I'm fine," she said. "It's just strange; I can feel a light presence, but when I concentrate on it, it becomes strong… too strong even," mumbled Zatanna. This sensation was unfamiliar to her – so unfamiliar that he dad never explained it to her. She came to one conclusion – dark magic was in the works.

"It's must be stronger magic them we had anticipated," guessed Kaldur – practically reading Zatanna's thoughts. "We'll have to-"

BAM!

With a harsh jerk, the bioship came to a sudden halt – once so forceful at that their seat-belts were no use as they were hurtled forward. Thankfully, the dashboard was able to break their jerk. Unthankfully, the dashboard wasn't a soft landing. M'Gann quickly reversed the bioship and let the craft hover in the air for a moment while everyone else gathered their bearings.

"M'Gann! What happened?" asked Kaldur breathlessly. His webbed hands gripped the dashboard tightly as he hosted himself back into his seat. Everyone else seemed okay.

M'Gann placed a hand on her forehead – whenever the bioship felt pain, so did she. "I-I don't know! The bioship – it was like she hit something!"

"That must be the cloaking device!" concluded Robin. "It must also be acting as a shield of some sort!"

"Then how do we get in?" asked Superboy. "If the bioship couldn't penetrate it…" his voice trailed off. He didn't need to finish his sentence to let everyone know what he was thinking – how would they get in?

Kaldur twisted his lip in thought. "This is obviously _quite_ strong magic. It will be hard to-"

"But we'll find a way," interrupted Wally darkly. Everyone glanced over at the speedster, who hadn't talked the whole trip. "We've got to get in there, we can't give up!" the desperation in his voice didn't go undetected. However, no one was quite sure why he was talking so irrationally.

"No one said anything about giving up," responded Kaldur calmly as he internally scrutinized Wally's outburst. "We just have to change our strategy," Swiveling his chair, Kaldur faced Zatanna – who seemed to know what he was thinking, and tried to avoid eye contact. "Zatanna, do you think you know a spell?" he asked.

Zatanna closed her eyes. "There's one-," her voice sounded broken – as if she didn't want to admit it that there was such a spell.

"Can you perform it?" asked Kaldur.

Zatanna frowned and turned her head away from the questioning glares she was getting from the rest of the team. "It's… complicated," she explained. "I can't really – … it's just too hard,"

The silence in the craft had become rather awkward. Everyone knew that the only possible way to break the cloaking spell would be for Zatanna to use her powers. But Zatanna was too scared to try it, therefore leaving the team with no other option.

Robin reached over and placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Look, Zee," he began. "I know it's difficult. But you have to try it. You're our only hope," Zatanna looked further away, but Robin continued. "I've seen you try spells before. They may be complicated, but you always get them," at that Zatanna was able to look Robin in the eyes and saw his masked face smiling comfortingly back at her. "You'll get this one, trust me,"

Zatanna gave him a soft smile to mirror Robin's. She still didn't have confidence in herself, but his words help. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Zatanna stood from her chair and extended her arms forward. Focusing all of her energy on her fingertips, she tried the spell. "Lleps gnikaolc eht ni gninepo na etaerc!"

Nothing happened.

Zatanna frowned to keep from whimpering. "Lleps gnikaolc eht ni gninepo na etaerc!"

Still nothing.

The team exchanged worried looks. So far, their only hope of penetrating the force field wasn't working. Zatanna bit her lip. She just wanted to give up. It was too embarrassing for her to let the team down this way.

That's when Robin stood beside heard gave her a slight nod. "You can do this, Zee. One more try,"

Zatanna nodded slightly, and focused her attention on the invisible force in front of her. "Lleps gnikaolc eht ni gninepo na etaerc!"

Then, a small purple dot appeared before them.

Slowly, but surely enough, the dot began to expand into a purple outlined hole – getting bigger and bigger as it crawled along the fore field. As it did, an image of an island appeared before them. The force field was breaking.

Small sounds of encouragement and cheers were heard from the team as the bioship inched forward into the opening in the fore field. Zatanna sat back down – smiling as big as her face muscles could allow. "Way to go, Zatanna," said Robin with a smile.

"Destination, reached," proclaimed M'Gann as the bioship hovered over the north side of the island. The rest of the team stared at the island in awe. It was chalk full of lush vegetation and a looming sense of mysterious darkness. For the team couldn't see past the canopy of the treetops. What lay below was unknown.

"Locate the area where the boat will dock," said Kaldur.

M'Gann nodded and telepathically ordered the bioship to find any sort of marine craft. "It's picking up a signal from the south-west side of the island. There should be a bay there of some sort-"

"I can see it now!" said Superboy as the bioship approached the bay. Indeed, a long boat was docked at the long bay. Surrounding it was a small group of people.

"Can we see whose down there?" asked Roy. M'Gann nodded and allowed for the cameras on the ship to pick up images of the sight down below. In a few seconds, about 19 images began to appear on the windows of the bioship. 15 of them were just henchmen and sailors. The other 4, however, were more threatening. Before them, the team could see images of Ra's al Ghul, Sportsmaster, Cheshire, and Count Vertigo – all overlooking the shipment.

"That accounts for two members of the Injustice League. The others are all shadows," confirmed Robin.

"Is there any other life on the island?" asked Wally. There was a sense of urgency in his voice – he needed to know.

"I don't think… wait-," said M'Gann as she placed two fingers of her temples. "The bioship is picking up the presences of seven other beings,"

"Locate them," said Kaldur.

M'Gann bowed her head. Within seconds, a small map of the island appeared on the windshield of the ship. Scattered around the map were seven red dots. Two were on the left side of the bay, another two on the right, one was positioned on a cliff that over looked the bay, another about 100 meters to the right, and the last was at the bottom of the cliff.

"Seven dots," thought Wally. "It's them. It must be,"

"Miss. Martian to Batman," called M'Gann "Sightings of both the Shadows and the Injustice League have been confirmed,"

"Good work," Batman's voice could be heard throughout the bioship "The league and I will be there in 20 minutes, until remain hidden and…"

Suddenly, Batman's voice cut out. I high pitched ringing sound then formed in M'Gann's ears and caused a huge irritation for her brain. "AH!" she gasped, falling out of her seat and onto the floor of the bioship. Superboy leapt from his seat and too her side.

"M'Gann! What's happening?" he asked urgently.

"The-the bioship is being forced out of camouflage mood," she said as the ringing in her ears died down.

Wally looked at the window, and saw Count Vertigo starring intently in their direction. "They've found us," he whispered.

* * *

><p>It's them. They're right above me.<p>

My old team, my friends. And I have to watch them be tortured.

"Why must the _real_ hero's always underestimate us and send in the children?" Count Vertigo asks as I hear him through a communicator lodged in my ear. "Tigress-,"

Oh no. Please don't ask. Please don't ask. Please don't ask-

"Take out the aircraft, would you?"

Fuck.

Think, Artemis think. You can't kill you friends… but you can't revile yourself yet. "One of my arrows wouldn't be able to destroy the whole ship," that should do it… I hope – no – I pray.

"Who said anything about destroying it?" asks Cheshire coyly. "We just need to get the heroes out. After all, it's more fun to play on level ground wouldn't you say?"

Fuck.

I stand and set up my bow and arrow. On good explosion to cause the team to evacuate. Then they have to deal with the Shadow's below… and everyone else.

As I take my aim, I realize that I'm doing the one thing I tried to prevent all along – I'm sending my friends right to their deaths. Sure, they can fight the ones that wait below, but one thing could throw the fight in either direction.

Good God, what have I done?

"If you don't live," I murmur silently. "I don't see how I'll be able to afterwards," I hope that they heard me – somehow.

I release the arrow and hold my breath. If God can show my one kindness for all my sins, it's that he'll let my friends live tonight.

* * *

><p>"Incoming weapon!" called Roy. There wasn't enough time to strategize, or even consider alternative plans of escape. There was only one thing they could do in that moment.<p>

"Evacuate the bioship!" yelled Kaldur.

Milliseconds before the arrow hit the ship, the team dropped and began to descend down onto the beach. Thinking quickly, M'Gann used her powers to safely levitate everyone down to the ground. She whimpered as she watched the bioship catch fire, and send itself into the depths of the ocean to douse the flames.

But when they reached the ground, the team could all agree that being the flaming bioship would have been safer than their current position. Surrounding them were 19 deadly people, and seven more were only a few meters away.

Count Vertigo stepped forward – a strange smile on his face. "Welcome," he began. "I must admit, I am quite impressed. You were able to find us. And not only that, you were able to penetrate the force field," the team knew to falsify his praise and congratulations – they knew he didn't mean it. "But you see," he continued "It is quite important that this island remains a secret. So, I'm afraid that we're going to have to exterminate you,"

The team held their ground as they watch the henchmen on the beach start to inch towards them. Before anyone one from either side attacked, Kaldur let his shoulder gently brushed up against M'Gann to let her know that he wanted for them to link up.

"_Are we all linked_?" asked Kaldur.

"_Affirmative_," confirmed M'Gann.

"_Good. Miss Martian, occupy Count Vertigo. The rest of you, find the other seven. I'll take care of the rest. GO!"_

As quickly as they could, the team dispersed, just in time for Kaldur to summon up a small tidal wave from the ocean to entrap the 19 people on the beach. Count Vertigo was about to stop him with his powers, but M'Gann got to him sooner.

The rest split up and tried to find the other seven. It wasn't too hard as from out of the darkness of the forest emerged the Terror Twins, Mammoth, Shimmer, and Icicle Jr.

"_It's the same people we fought in New York_!" said Roy, assembling his bow and arrow.

When Wally heard that, he gasped to himself. That means Artemis is here – and Zoom wouldn't be too far away. He had to find her, she was so close. And then, as if by chance, he saw a figure standing on the edge of an over-looking cliff.

Wally didn't even think.

There she was.

"_I've found her!_" yelled Wally.

"_Who_?" asked Roy. But Wally didn't listen, or respond.

Using he's speed, he ran up to the top of the cliff – tears already beginning to form in his eyes.

* * *

><p>He's coming.<p>

Holy Shit he's coming.

I can see the red and yellow blur from below, running up here.

Wally West is coming.

I have to get out of here. I don't want to though – I want for him to see me – to save me. But I can't let that happen. I can't let him see me! I'm to close to let it all go to waste now.

"Artemis!"

Too late.

One last resort.

As the red and yellow blur speeds towards me, I remember my training from Black Canary. Break his momentum. Sorry Wally – good God am I sorry.

I kick him in the face as he rockets in my direction. The force of my foot stops him instantly and sends him flying in the other direction. I try running again, but he still peruses me. "Artemis! It's me!" I hear him cry. The sound of his voice brings tears to my eyes. I punch him in the gut. I swear it probably hurt me more to do so than it hurt him. "Artemis!"

I wind up for another punch, but he grabs my wrist. I try with my other hand, but he stops that punch as well. I'm in no position to use my legs. For the first time, I'm helpless.

"Artemis. Please,"

And then he looks into my eyes, and I look into his. For a brief moment, time stands still. The sounds of battle from below are silenced, and nothing seems to matter anymore. Not the plan, not my father. _Nothing_ matters. It's just me and Wally.

Wally West.

I can't help myself any longer. I've missed him more than words can say. This feeling inside me is indescribable. In this moment, I can't think of anything to say, but one word. One word that kept me going. One word that causes a state of extreme euphoria in my heart; "Wally,"

No more words, no more waiting. We collapse into each other's arms – crying immeasurably and … kissing passionately. His mouth taste like blood and salt from his tears, but too me, it's the best taste of him there is.

He breaks for a moment. "Why, Artemis? Why?" But then he continues to kiss me. His grip on me if tighter than any embrace I've ever received. A death grip that when broken, he might loose me again.

"Well, well, well,"

In my time on this island, I've begged for many things. I've begged for the safety of my team, and that my plan would work out. But I can honestly say that I've never begged more than I am now – please, please don't let it be who I think it is.

When we break, and Wally turns. I see who it is over his shoulder.

Zoom stands there. An odd grin on his face.

* * *

><p>Seeing Artemis again caused an emotion in Wally so great that he swore nothing would ever amount to it. The happiness, the love, the confusion, and the sadness, all mixed together as one to create a feeling of chaos in Wally's head. And the feeling only grew negative at the sight of Zoom.<p>

"Now Tigress, I know we weren't really dating. But I have to say, I'm feeling kind of like a jealous boyfriend right now," Zoom said in a joking matter. "Or wait, are you just 'playing hard to get' with me?" he laughed.

Wally looked over to Artemis – _his_ Artemis and cocked his eyebrow. "Tigress?" he asked.

Artemis looked back at him, tears reforming in her eyes. The situation confused Wally greatly. Artemis was working with Zoom? He had figured that since their first 'meeting' but it didn't add up. Why did she betray them? Or, better question, why _wasn't_ she betraying him now?

"Or maybe you actually like this Justice loser," snarled Zoom. Wally placed his attention back on Zoom. Artemis did nothing – as if she was frozen with fear. "Well, I don't want to have to make you choose. So why don't I eliminate the other option?"

Wally didn't have time to think before Zoom charged at him full on. He barely had time to blink as the fight at super speed commenced. Artemis couldn't help because she could barely make out the situation with her own eyes. All she could see were red and yellow blurs. The only hope Wally could have was his training.

Which, thankfully, was paying off.

Unlike last time, Wally was able to get in some really good hits. Zoom was taken by surprise as Wally maneuvered himself in the fight. But the constant punches to the face started to bother Zoom.

In an attempt to claw at Zoom's face, Wally got a handful of the fabric his mask. Coincidently, Zoom had the same intensions in mind, and also grabbed for the face of his enemy. Out of habit, the two boys pulled away from each other.

Their masks however, didn't follow.

Before they charged at the other again, the two boys stopped when they made eye contact. Both were mask-less and staring in shock at their opponent. For they both recognized the other.

"Wally?" asked the boy known as Zoom.

Wally gulped. "Hunter?"

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><p><strong>Wow. I just realized that I've left you on a cliffhanger WHILE the characters or on a cliff! Haha!<strong>

**There are some things I'd like to address.**

**1. Sorry if I'm making Artemis 'religious' sounding (with all the 'I pray' and references to 'God'), it's probably just me noticing this anyway, but it kind of noticed it as I was editing. I doing it to express desperation. Hope it's working.**

**2. One of my (VERY) few annoyances of the show was when Zatanna got the difficult spell in 'Misplaced' right away. I think it was have been really interesting to see her kind of struggle with it - more real in a sense.**

**3. Sorry if the 'reunion' scene wasn't up to par. I had (and am having) a lot of trouble with this scene/future scenes. Please bare with me, and tell me if the scenes feel rushed or awkward to you. I am, after all, still kind of learning.**

**But that's it. REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter time! Enjoy!**

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><p>And there they were. Two best friends as two mortal enemies. A bromance that had turned into a blinded hatred in a matter of mere seconds. A pair of boys who had lived in each other's houses had tried to hurt (almost kill) the other without even knowing it.<p>

Wally stood motionless with a bright red mask in his hand, and Zoom with a vivid yellow mask in his. They both stared at each other, gaping wide-eyed with awe and bewilderment. For the life of them, they could not believe it.

Then, Hunter's breathing started to pulsate and become heavy and hefty. Slowly but surely, his mouth formed a big smile. His crazed breaths started to becomes deep and honest laughs, and his belly shook with every childish giggle. "You've … _got_ … to … be … kidding … me!" said Hunter through his bellowing laughs.

Wally just kept staring at the blonde boy – then his head began to shake in disbelief. "No. No, it can't be-"

"Oh! But it is! It really is!" Hunter's laugh was now uncontrollable. "Holy Hell! Kid Flash ate _my_ aunt's sandwiches, played _my_ videogames, and all this time I didn't even know it!"

Wally looked at the mask in his hands. He noted that it was the same color as his gloves – the same gloves that were also covered in dry blood from training with his uncle… to capture _him_; Zoom. "Hunter how could you?" was all Wally could think of to say.

Hunter's laughs settled into a soft smile as he looked back at Wally. "In all seriousness, it makes more sense for me to be on _this_ side then it does for you to be one yours," he shrugged.

Wally heard Hunter's voice, but didn't process his words - he was still in a state of denial. "You've-you've hurt people," He looked back to Artemis who seemed frozen in place. A puzzled expression covered her face – she didn't know weather or not to run, ask questions, or attack someone. And if attack, who would it be?

When Wally looked back at Artemis, he almost wanted to cry again. Seeing her face again only made him both extremely happy and confused – _almost_, though. His confusion seemed to overtaken by the sight of his best friend who double as his mortal enemy. Wally's brain was both conflicted and melancholic, no room whatsoever to think about and handle to situation.

"Of course I have, West," said Hunter nonchalantly. "What kind of a 'baddy' would I be? But _you_-" he said, "_You_ have done some _truly_ crazy shit! I've seen you in the news!" he concluded, clapping his hands together as he slowly began to figure it all out. He then turned his attentions to Artemis. "And I see you've got a girlfriend. Tigress – I must say – strange choice. What will Count Vertigo think?" the twisted smile on Hunter's face made Artemis' skin crawl.

"You-you wouldn't-" her voice sounded desperate – a way that Wally had never heard it before. What had these people done to her to completely break her spirits?

"And what's stopping me? Going to threaten to put another arrow down my throat?" challenged Hunter. Well, at least that sounded a lot more like Artemis to Wally. "So tell me; how did you two meet? Wally doesn't talk to anyone at school, and he couldn't have known about you if you've always lived here… unless," Hunter broke out into another fit of laughter. "No-no way. No _fucking_ way! That's not… that's not the girl who died, is it?"

Both Wally and Artemis didn't know who to respond. This boy had literally figured everything out with barely little to any information. And as Hunter figured it all out, so did Wally. Artemis had faked her own death to switch sides. But Why? Still, the bigger question was; why didn't she sell out the League? Or betray the team upfront? Wally looked over to Artemis. His emerald eyes had turned red and splotchy from forming tears.

Hunter quickly gained control over his laughing again. "So what's your deal, Tigress? How does this whole thing work? What happens now? Does Count Vertigo know?"

Artemis took a deep breath and stepped forward, still trapped in Wally's gaze. "Look, Zoom-"

"Whoa, I think we've all established that I'm Hunter now," said Hunter as he over-exaggeratedly pointed at himself with his thumbs. Artemis closed her eyes – he was toying with her now.

"Hunter. I don't know what _your_ deal is, or who _you_ are. But please – this has to be kept secret,"

Hunter nodded, but was still smiling cartoonishly "So then what? Are you going to sell me out?"

"No, Hunter, I-"

"Cause you see; the thing is I'm pretty much a 'bad guy'," he said, forming air quotations with his fingers. "And I'm also quite untrusting," Hunter began inching closer to the other two. They started to back up.

"Hunter, you can trust me," pleaded Artemis. She tried to keep her voice calm and soothing, but both boys could here the breaks and cracks of a worried tone.

"Can I? Well, judging by this predicament, I'm going to say 'no'. Looks like we'll never have that relationship, sorry babe,"

In a blur of red and yellow, Hunter charged at Artemis and carried her off – heading in the direction of the bay. Wally had to think fast – If Artemis was revealed both the team and she could be in trouble.

In a flash, Wally perused the two. Luckily, he was able to catch up to them.

* * *

><p>I don't quite understand what's going on. All I can see are blurs of yellow and red. Perhaps they're fighting? But how am I not feeling anything?<p>

Wait – how the hell did I end up in Wally's arms? Wasn't this Hunter guy carrying my a second ago?

"Quick; how far is the nearest building?" asks Wally.

"Head for the center of the island," I respond quickly. "That's where the base is," We're literally there in two seconds. "The door is-"

"No time!" yells Wally.

Suddenly, I feel strange. I feel as though my whole body is shaking. The weird thing is, I'm shaking really fast. Like _really_ fast. Not even the earth can shake at this speed in an earthquake.

Suddenly, Wally takes a step at the wall.

Now, darkness – my body feels like it's being-… crushed?

Now-… how the hell did we get inside the building?

I look up at Wally. I'm still in his arms, but we've collapsed to the ground. His breathing his is deep and heavy. "I… did… it," he manages to say.

"Did what?"

"I… vibrated… through… the… wall," he explains.

He did it. He actually did it. I remember from before I left that whenever he tried to pull this off, his nose would bleed. But this time, he got it! And not only that, he got me through the wall as well! But it's only a little achievement compared to the other emotions that are felt in this moment right now. When he regains his breath, his green eyes focus in my direction.

It's dead silent. All that we can here is the sound of the ventilation system in the base. It didn't even occur to me that we were in my 'room'. His green eyes stare at me intently – looking deep into my soul, searching for an answer. He probably wants to ask me about – everything. From the moment I left to the moment he found me. And, in all honesty, I want to give him all of those answers. Yet, there's no time. The team is in danger, and I have to find my father.

"Artemis-"

"We have to get moving,"

I roll out of his light, awkward grasp and jump up from the floor – making a b-line for the door to my bedroom. But before I can open the glass structure, he speeds in front of me and stops me.

He's angry. Very angry. "I'm not letting you go anywhere until you tell me why the fuck you left,"

I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've heard Wally swear so forcefully. It's kind of scary – but also _really_ hot. His eyes are like daggers and his lip is twisting around – possibly to keep from shedding another tear. That angry glare is one my father used to give me (minus the crying). Speaking of which… "Wally, we have to get back out there, I have to-"

"What, Artemis? What do you possibly have to do? What do you have to do that is so fucking important that you have to fake your own death, destroy all of your friends and family, and – and switch fucking sides?"

He's begun crying now. If only he knew. But I still can't tell him. After what I've done he'd – well he'd probably loose _all_ trust in me. My 'death' probably drove him to the edge. I can't tell him - and yet – it's-it's hurting me not to. "Wally, you-you just don't understand," God. I can't even bring myself to look at him. And, I have to blink like a retard to hold my tears back. Goddamit! Stop crying! Stop it!

"I would if you just tell me! "

"I can't!"

"And why not?"

"Because-" I'm out of reasons. But I just can't tell him… can I? "Because it's my burden to bare! That's why!"

He's eyes get even narrower, if that's even possible at the point. If they could, his fingers nails would be digging into the glass. But instead, they scrape the surface. He's pissed. Understandable. "That's a bullshit reason,"

I figured. "Well what do you want from me?"

"You know what I want!"

What a dick. Look what he's degraded me to, a blubbering idiot. Is it possible to have a fractured heart? Cause I swear mine just cracked. I guess everyone has a breaking point - I just didn't know how far I could go. 16 years of living this – life (if I can even call it that) and I finally hit it. I don't want to hold back anymore – I want to tell him. Of course, every last bit of my moral fiber is telling me not to, but fuck it, I just don't see why anymore. I want to tell him everything about my past and my present. I wipe my tears away from my eyes a look back to those green iris's that are pulling the answer out of me already.

With another beat a silence, I let the story of my life out of my throat and into the air around us. "My… my family… we've – we've never been – they've never been model citizens," Stop staling! Tell him! Deep breath. "My-my father is Sportsmaster. My sister is Cheshire, and my mom is a retired assassin – she used to go by Huntress,"

His eyebrows un-furrow and begin to rise. His hands fall to his side and his lips part. "… what?"

I bit my lip to keep from tearing up again. I knew it – he's judging me. I shouldn't have told him. "I pretty plan and simple Kid Idiot," my voice is starting to break. "I joined your team to change things. I didn't want to be like them! But no matter what I did, they were always there. I had to stop them myself, and there was only one way I could do that," another pause to blink back tears. "I had to work from the inside,"

Wally drops his head to the floor. The shocked expression hasn't left his face. "So you faked your own death to avoid suspicion," I nodded as he sorted out the rest. Eventually, he brings his head up to look at me again – betrayal covers his eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?" Oh God, here it comes. "Right from the beginning, we could have helped you,"

"Believe it or not Flash Boy," my tone is softer, less sarcastic "I started to care for you guys. He's was hurting you, and I couldn't risk him killing you if we went after him. I wanted to keep you guys safe,"

"You don't think we could have handled him?" he asks.

"I _know_ you wouldn't have been able to handle him. How many times has the _actual_ Justice League gone after the Shadows, and failed miserably? Just six teens against Sportsmaster and Cheshire? It's lucky we aren't dead now!" I look to my feet. It's getting harder to face him with the more I tell him about my life "Only I know how he works, and had a chance to stop him. I didn't know whether or not to trust you guys yet, and I didn't want to get you all involved," And there it is, the end of my tale. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. But it's not replaced with shame that I have yet to complete my goal – making my actions seems like a childish waste of time.

But strangely enough, I feel his finger hook underneath my chin and tilt my head back up to face him. His expression is quite stern, but warm. And those damn green eyes. Those damn green fucking eyes. "I wish we never gave you a reason not to trust us. I would have helped you right away if you asked for it. I'm going to contact the team, and we're going to being him down,"

I smiled. What else could I do? A single tear of joy trickled down onto my mask. One I didn't even know I still had on. Then, Wally gently removes the mask from my face – freeing me. "Artemis," I'm no longer Tigress. We share a warm embrace. Just a hug, nothing else. But the hug itself feels so full of love an passion – a surprising amount for just two sixteen year-olds. "I'm sorry Wally," I whisper into his ear.

He sighs into my ear. "I know,"

* * *

><p>Kaldur was having a bit of trouble containing the assassins and Injustice League members in his 'water cell'. Especially since he wasn't fully trained in the mystic arts of Atlantis. Behind him, his teammates were fighting off the Young Injustice.<p>

"I'm surprised," Ra's al Ghul caught Kaldur's attention. "I guess you didn't develop certain traits from you bloodline, young Kaldur,"

Kaldur frowned at him. "How do you know my name?"

Ra's chuckled to himself. "Oh Atlantian, do you really think we don't keep tabs on all of our alliances, _and_ their offspring?"

Kaldur's frown turned from one of anger to one of surprise "What do you mean?".

Ra's laughed louder. "Don't tell me you don't know where you really come from, boy, who your father _really_ is,"

Kaldur growled. He hated how Ra's was trying to confuse him. "I know that my father worked for Black Manta-"

Ra's laughed once more. "Silly boy; you father _is_ Black Manta! Always has been, and always will be!"

"You lie!" Kaldur didn't even take the time to comprehend the possibility of this information. He just simply refused to believes Ra's, and was angered further by his smug knowledge.

"What could I gain from lying to you?" the sick smile that had morphed onto Ra's face set something off in Kaldur brain – something that allowed for him to consider Ra's statement as a true possibility. "But I must say, I'm a little disappointed. You father would have known right away if he was being led into a trap!"

"Trap?"

Ra's smile grew "Do you see those crates behind me? They're actually explosives that will destroy this whole island in less than a second! We disguised it as a shipment so we could draw your little team here!" Kaldur's face changed to one of worry as evil smiles spread on the faces of the other who were trapped in his water prison. He felt fearful. Had he actually led his team right into a trap? "For two long have you and your friends interfered with our plans! Let's see how the Justice League does without kids handling their dirty work! Unfortunately, you have placed _us_ in a bit of a pickle," he said, gesturing to the group of people that stood with him in Kaldur's 'water cell' "But that only leaves a challenge for you! Keep us trapped, and risk the lives of your teammates – or save your team and let us get away,"

Kaldur looked over his shoulder at the rest of the teem in the midst of a battle. He could tell them to run off the island, and stay behind. But sacrifice wasn't an option; it would mean that his captives would also be killed. True, they were evil, but his moral code didn't allow for him to kill anyone. Kaldur looked back to Ra's and glared "You're bluffing,"

Ra's smirk. Then, reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small remote and said "Try me," pressing it, he added "You have 10 minutes,"

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><p><strong>So I'm going to try something a little different with the next part. This story actually has two different endings from this point, and I'd like to publish both of them. Both have only two more chapters, so it's nothing too big. I haven't decided how I'm going to organize them yet, but bare with me.<strong>**  
><strong>

**Until next time! REVIEW!**


	16. Chapter 16

****So, jokes. Different endings don't start yet. But they will soon. Don't worry, I won't leave anything out!**  
><strong>

****Enjoy****

*****Telepathic convo in _italics_****

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><p><strong>10 minutes. That isn't much time. Not much time at all. Especially when one is hoping to evacuate an entire island. Kaldur had to think fast. He turned his head in the direction of the rest of the team. He saw them fighting valiantly behind him as they tried to keep the young villains from assisting their leaders.<strong>

"_Team! A bomb has just been activated – we have 10 minutes to evacuate_," yelled Kaldur – his voice was stricken with panic.

"_What_?" gasped Miss. Martian as she took a brief moment to pause her battle with Mammoth. He was a strong force – but nothing a Martian couldn't handle. "_How did it-_?"

"_Just get everyone off the island!_" interrupted Kaldur aggressively. He didn't mean to sound so harsh, but he was in a state chaos. By now, he could feel himself weakening from maintaining his 'water cell' for so long. But he just needed a little longer…

Miss Martian began to fly off when she was stopped. A giant rock was thrown up at her as she tried to glide away – she could only guess that Mammoth had tossed it. "_How do we get __everyone__ off the island?" _she asked, referring to the younger enemies that still fought below.

Kaldur though for a moment – then wondered why he hadn't thought of this idea sooner; "_Zatanna! Can you bound them, and place them on the importing ship?_" asked Kaldur, using his head to gesture to the boat that had been carrying the bomb. The bioship was still unaccounted for, and they need a place to run to. The boat, however, had started to depart from the bay.

"_I-I think I can_," stuttered Zatanna. "_But – I need concentration if I'm going to bind all of them_," she added, recounting the 5 members of the Young Injustice League. "_Wait… wasn't there seven of them?"_ she asked as she prepared herself to perform the spell.

"_Where are the other two_?" asked Roy as he fired an arrow that turned into a net in Mammoth's direction.

Then Robin looked around "_Where's Wally?_"

* * *

><p>Wally and Artemis were running at top speed. Wally had heard Kaldur's warning in his head, and promised the team that he'd be at the bay soon. He didn't tell them about Artemis – he just knew they wouldn't believe him. So, Artemis slipped her mask back on, Wally took her into his arms, and he started running to get them to the bay. He could easily make it there in two minutes, but all of the trees and bushes in his way made it hard for it to focus on where is was going. Eventually though, the bay started to grow in his line of vision.<p>

"Two more seconds, Artemis," he announced. "Then we're-"

A sudden force pulled Wally back and forced him to come to an immediate halt. Artemis went flying forward from his arms due to the impact. Luckily, a few lush bushes had broken their fall. Wally peeled himself from the dirt and tilted his head upward – quickly identifying the cause of his stop.

"Hunter," Wally had forgotten that Hunter was hot on their trail. After he and Artemis had vibrated into the base, he had just assumed that Hunter left. That's why when Wally and Artemis took off in the direction of the bay, he didn't expect for Hunter to follow them.

Hunter looked down upon Wally with a smug grin on his face. On hand rested firmly on his hip, the other still held Wally's yellow mask. It was then that Wally realized that he still held Hunter's red one. "Thought you got me with that vibrating trick, eh?" taunted the blonde boy. "Thought you and your girlfriend could escape without another fight?" he questioned violently.

"Hunter, listen. A bomb is set to go off in about nine minutes. We have to get off the island!" yelled Wally as he stood up fully from the ground.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You must be dumber then I thought, West. You really think I'm going to fall for that one?" he asked, letting his hand drop from his hip, and form a tightly clenched fist.

Artemis rolled from her back onto her front and lifted herself off the ground as well. "It's not a trick, Zoom. We all have to go, now!"

"I'm not taking orders from you anymore!" said hunter, glaring at her with his blue eyes. "You've probably been working with him and his geek friends this whole time!" he yelled.

Artemis paused to glare back. "I've been here on my own terms," she said darkly and quietly. "But that doesn't change that fact that we have to go!"

"Go where? To the bay where you can turn me over to the Justice losers? No way! West and I are going to finish this – right here, right now!"

Wally frowned at his 'friend' "You want to fight me, Hunter? You got it!" Wally's voice was more angry then challenging. He then looked at the red mask in his hand, and tossed it back to Hunter. "But put this on! If I'm fighting you, I'm fighting Zoom. And not my friend. I'm not fighting someone I care about, or trusted,"

Hunter caught the mask.

Then, he looked to Wally, and then back at the mask.

After a short pause, he started to chuckled quietly. "You hero's and your morals," criticized Hunter. He slipped the mask on and tossed to Wally his yellow one "Only proves how lame you are!"

Wally paused and looked at Hunter – now Zoom – darkly. "It's not for a moral," he said darkly as he pulled the yellow fabric over his face. "It's for my own conscience; so I don't have to deal with the fact that I've hurt my friend,"

Hunter grinned. "Don't worry," he snickered. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen,"

In an instant, both boys charged full on towards each other – meeting somewhere at the middle and breaking out into a full on brawl. When Wally had a moment, he turned back to Artemis. "Go!" he yelled.

She didn't move. "I'm not leaving you!" she called back. She seemed as though she wanted to join in and help him, but she couldn't – she was physically unable to help at their speed.

"I'll be fine! Just go!" he assured. Artemis looked worried – fighting her body to stay still. "Please!"

Hating herself for it, Artemis started to run. She was only about a quarter of a mile away from the bay – it would take her only two minutes to get there when it would have taken Wally about 2 seconds.

Wally watched her orange hair fly behind her as she ran. But his trance was broken (along with possibly one of his ribs) as Hunter planted a hard punch near his chest. The blow sent Wally back a bit and into a tree.

"Bad idea to make false promises to your girlfriend, West," laughed hunter as he wound up for his next attacked. Wally growled and made his body vibrate through the tree, causing Hunter to break most of his fingers by hitting the tree.

Wally sniggered "What makes you think it was false?"

* * *

><p>On the bay, the team had done a good job of tying up most of the younger villains. Now, they just had to deal with the real threats.<p>

"_Miss Martian. Load the captives onto the boat,_" said Kaldur.

"_On it, Aqualad_," said M'gann as she levitated the 5 bound young villains onto the red boat. When they were safely aboard, M'gann returned to the team's side, hovering from the ground. The next issues was moving the Shadows and their henchmen onto the boat along with their younger operatives.

"_I do not possess the ability to move all of them to the boat and still contain them. Zatanna, can you bond them within the water cell_?" asked Kaldur.

"_No. I can't work through your magic. Even if I tried, the spell would still be deflected,"_ explained Zatanna.

"_I cannot not hold them for much longer. Miss. Martian, can you brain blast them?"_ asked Kaldur.

"_Not through the water," _explained the Martian sorrowfully.

Kaldur sighed – not in disappointment, but in worry. _"Then I will drop my water cell. When I do – Miss. Martian – brain blast them. Zatanna – bound them. For the rest of you, be prepared,"_

Roy nodded and pulled an arrow from his quiver and placed his against the bow. Robin's finger's itched above his utility belt, and Superboy bared his fists.

"… _Now!"_ The water cell dispersed and Kaldur fell to the ground from being too tired…

One cannot suggest that the team was not ready. They knew the plan and were ready for anything… except for Cheshire tossing one of her knives in Kaldur's direction. So, M'gann lost her concentration for a moment to deflected the on coming weapon as no one else could have protected him. However, in the seconds that M'gann broke her concentration, Count Vertigo used his own powers on them. Smiling, he used his mind waves to hurt the team. Each collapsed from the intense mind waves that weakened their bodies. The blast was so powerful that M'gann fell from her hover and banged her head – rendering her unconscious. Even Zatanna couldn't use her powers from the mental waves.

"Children, children. Haven't we learned anything from our last meeting?" mocked Count Vertigo. The other henchmen stepped forward to collect the kids, but Count Vertigo stopped them. "I want to enjoy watching the suffer,"

There didn't seem to be a way out. Everyone was under Count Vertigo's control, and M'gann couldn't contact Wally. For the first time, the team mentally mutually agreed that all hope was lost. Kaldur couldn't help but feeling responsible for this whole mess. If only he had held the water cell for longer, or protect himself from the knife. Perhaps if he had accounted for Cheshire having a weapon – or any other of his captives for that matter. He should have been ready, and that was killing him more than Count Vertigo's powers.

"5 minutes till the bomb goes off. But you'll be dead before then," laughed Count Vertigo. The team tried to fight it, but slowly and surely, their eyelids started to close…

"Sportsmaster, go with the henchmen and untie the kids on the boat," instructed Ra's. Sportsmaster nodded and signaled for the henchmen to follow him onto the boat.

Then, just as Sportsmaster disappeared, an arrow came flying from the woods. Exploding near Count Vertigo, he was knocked out by the blast and fell to the ground. Another arrow followed the first one – a net arrow pinned him to the sand. When the mind waves stopped, the team quickly gathered their bearings and stood up.

"Red Arrow, how did you do that?" asked Superboy as he rubbed his head.

"I… didn't,"

Cheshire, Ra's, and the team looked in the direction of the rouge arrow, and their eyes lead them to the forest.

Then, a figure revealed itself from the darkness. It was a tall, strong girl with organ hair holding a black crossbow gun in the hand of her extend right arm. She wore a mostly black leather outfit that had orange tiger stripes on the sides. Her mask cover three quarters of her face (exposing her left cheek and most of her lip). The team assumed she was the mysterious seventh member of the young injustice team, but didn't attack as they were confused – why did she save them?

"Tigress!" yelled Ra's "What are you doing?"

The figure paused. Then, she slowly reached for her mask and pulled it off. Dropping it to the ground, she scowled at Ra's and Cheshire. "I'm not 'Tigress' anymore,"

Robin's knees collapse from underneath him. Zatanna started to whimper loudly and aggressively. Both Kaldur and Roy dropped their weapons and gaped at the sight. Superboy gasped loudly and covered his mouth with his right hand.

The girl didn't look to the team, but could sense their reactions. As a single tear dripped from her eye, the corners of her mouth formed into a small smile. "My name is Artemis,"

Firing another two arrows from the crossbow gun, Ra's and Cheshire were hit with two nets. Two more arrows followed that released a knock out gas that only affected the two Shadows.

When all was still on the beach, Artemis lowed her weapon.

And finally – after many months of missing them and crying over their safety, she turned to face her team.

It was dead silent. The only sounds heard were the waves of the ocean as they crashed against the beach. The same waves that Artemis stared at everyday, thinking of home. After a few moment of silence, Zatanna stepped forward. "Are-are you a g-ghost? Some sort of sick mental projection?" her words broke as she whimpered.

Another tear fell from Artemis' eyes "Can't tell. Secret,"

Zatanna's mouth split into a wide smile as she slowly walked towards Artemis. Her blue eyes were coated with a layer of tears as she remembered Artemis' joke from their 'girls night out'. "It's really y-"

"Why am I not surprised?"

Artemis' body seized up at the sound of the deep, menacing, yet recognizable voice. The rest of the team turned their heads in confusion as Sportsmaster made his way from the boat – the henchmen not too far behind. Evidently, he had heard the trouble on the beach, and didn't have time to un-tie the younger villains. 'You take after your mother than you do after me," his voice was dark and threatening. From the slits in his mask, Artemis could see his eyes frowning at her. The rest of the team looked back to Artemis in deep shock. Each with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

"A-Artemis…" stuttered Zatanna. She seemed to be the only one who could talk. "Is he… your-?"

Artemis frowned back at the man. True hatred coded her eyes, and in the most spiteful tone, she finished Zatanna's sentence. "Dad,"

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><p><strong>I usually don't like referencing episodes in my stories. But I couldn't think of anything else...<strong>

**Same goes for the Black Manta/Kaldur relationship. I knew they were related, but I came up with the idea to include that in my story BEFORE the episode from season 2 came out.**

**Anyway, REVIEW!**


	17. Chapter 17

**So this chapter is a little short - sorry bout that. Anyway, after this chapter, the story will split into two different endings. I promise this time!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>There's one good memory I have of my dad. When I was 10 years old, he gave me a Saturday morning off from training to watch cartoons. So, we sat on the coach together, and watch cartoons for 6 hours straight. By that point, I hadn't watched cartoons for five years. I didn't even enjoy any of the programs. But it was a moment with my dad – one of the few where I was actually happy to just relax with him. Why was he so kind? To this day, I still don't know. Maybe my mom had convinced him to give me the day off, or maybe he was trying to inspire me to mimic the cartoons on screen and learn impossible forms of martial arts. Either way, it was one of the few happy moments I had with my dad.<p>

But that was one memory.

Every other thought I have of my dad makes me hate him. Hate him so much, that – as he stands before me now – I can't look at the mask that shields his face without snarling at it like Wolf on a bad day.

He lets his mace glide out of his hands and hit the sand on the beach beneath him. He grips the chain tightly – ready for an attack. I am still, not moving, barely breathing. All the pieces are in play; it's time for him to make the first move.

"Never did I think that I would see that day that you would turn on me, Artemis," he slowly begins to spin the mace in his hands. His walking pace has become slower – something he did a lot during our training sessions. He only did it when he was displeased with my performance, and was preparing to punish me with a good punch to the face. But what he was preparing for wasn't a simple punch… "And you of all people should know how I respond to disobedience,"

Roy fires an arrow, but my dad deflects it with his mace. Seconds later, the henchmen attack my mostly unconscious friends and somehow, manage to pin them all down. Obviously, my old team is still weary from Count Vertigo's mind waves – they would have never gone down so easy. Then again, these henchmen are members of the Shadows.

I see my greatest fear manifesting before my eyes. I only wanted to hunt down my dad to protect my friends. Now, they probably only have seconds to live in the arms of the henchmen. I lung forward to help my teammates, but my dad grabs me around the waist and throws me to the ground. I land on y front with half my face buried in the sand, the other half just able enough to see my teammates struggle in the arms of the henchmen.

"Artemis!" yells Robin. The henchmen then cover his mouth, as do the others to their respective captive – my teammates, my friends. One henchman in particular has a strong grip on Zatanna's head. One good twist and she would be gone forever – all because of me.

And then I feel it. A whole ton of rage just bubble and boil inside my guts. That is the last damn straw. "Let. them. go," I growl in the sand.

I hear my dad's footsteps in the sand around me. "You don't know me at all, little girl," he crouches down and tilts my head up from the sand to look into his mask. "I'm going to deal with you, and then, I'm going to kill them," he places his other hand behind my head and slams in into the ground. "They're going to watch you suffer, and then, you'll watch them die – slowly and painfully,"

I dig my fingers deep into the sand. How dare he? "Fucking prick," I spit into the sand. He hears me, and kicks me hard in the side – hard enough that I flip from my front to my back. By now, he's only really hit me twice, and already everything hurts. It probably hurts more because he's the one inflicting the pain. I learned a long time ago that my dad truly doesn't love me. But every time he hit me, I hurt a lot more than it should have. I watch as he slowly walks over to my body that is strewn about the sand. When he is standing right above me, he drops the mace right next to my head – chain still in hand.

He growls "Get up,"

That's all he says.

I don't move.

"I said; GET UP!" he yells and grabs for my arm. Pulling me harshly from the sand, he flings me to my feet. I stumble around a bit, and catch myself on a tree. "A daughter of mine will at least FIGHT BACK! Even if she knows all is lost,"

Daughter. He has the balls to call me his daughter. I look over to Jade. She is still conscience, but completely still. As if she never thought she witness me getting beaten within an inch of my own by our own father. Sure, he hit us both, but never that badly. Perhaps she's scared of him – or scared for me.

I look back as my dad slowly walks to me. He's flailing his mace uncontrollably.

And now, I start to fear. Again, not so much for my well-being, but for my friend's life. If I can't save them, no one will.

I begin to cry softly to myself. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. He should have been captured by now.

What am I doing? For God's sake Artemis, finish this!

Still wobbling, I turn to face my father again. Rolling my shoulders back, I strike my fighting stance. This ends tonight.

If he wasn't wearing the mask, I could be sure that he is smiling. He drops the mace to the side and cracks his knuckles. "There's my little girl,"

I frown "Not anymore,"

I push my self away from the tree and march forward some. As if by chance we begin to circle - eyeing the other.

Okay, Artemis, think; remember what Black Canary taught you; "_Act, never re-act, dictate the terms of the fight, channel your anger_," easier said then done.

Sportsmaster spins the mace and launches it in my direction. The metal ball and flailing chain come spinning towards me. I duck just in time, and the ball flies into a tree – snapping it in half. Too close.

I have little time to gather, as he charges at me with full force.

You've dealt with superior strength before! What do you do?

I crouch even lower and perform a low spin kick. He, however, jumps over my leg and dives into a summersault over my body. When he lands, he kicks my jaw so hard that I flip back onto my back. I don't stay there for long – I hop up immediately. "Good try, little girl. But not good enough," he smiles.

He begins to run at me again. Okay, channeling doesn't work – think of what Black Adam taught you "_Be ruthless, no mercy, trick, cheat, and don't back down,"_ works for me. I launch myself into the air, hop on his shoulders, back flip off, and land securely. When he turns, I do another spin kick – this time, to the face. His mask flies off and his face is reveled. It looks pissed. Slowly, he brings a hand up to his face and wipes away the blood from his lip. He stares at his hand in disbelief and growls at me. Okay, Black Adam works.

He runs at me yet again. This time, I take note that my back is to the ocean. Perhaps I could use this to my advantage.

He swings a punch at me and I catch his arm. Flipping him over, he lands on his front - face in the water.

Without another thought, I sit on his back; I use one hand to pin his arms down – the other to hold his head still.

I sit there and watch him struggle for air. This feels – great. This is the power I was feeling over my team. The power to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies. I consider letting him get some air, but I promptly forget that idea. Hearing him yell in the water only fills my mind with every bad memory if I have him. I press hard against his head as I become filled with hate.

I don't really notice it, but everyone is watching and everyone is silent. Even Ra's is completely quite as my dads twitches and struggles becomes less frequent, and the bubbles becomes smaller; a little longer, and he'll stop moving – preeminently.

* * *

><p><strong>Uh-oh! Is Artemis actually going to kill her father? Why is she doing this? Find out soon!<strong>

**Please REVIEW!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry it took me so long to upload. Now that I have two different endings, I'm trying to write them both at the same time to upload the parts at the same time. Needless to say, it's taking a while. **

**Anyway, some of the parts in the second ending will be identical to the first. But that's only because it worked out that way.**

**Hope you like them!**

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><p><span>Ending A: Part I<span>

Power is like a drug. It's so damn addictive. The power I feel over my dad right now, for example, is giving me goose bumps with awe and a crazed curiosity to see what happens from here. What's scaring me is that I can't stop. Obviously, being around these kinds of people has changed me, allowing me to believe that what I'm doing is okay. A part of me says I should stand and release my dad, but another part of me wants to avenge the pain he has caused to me and my friends.

Friends…

I can sense them all standing behind me and watching me as a literally destroy the one motto they live by - don't kill anyone. How they must feel to watch their friend come back from the dead as an entirely different person. A part of me feels bad for them. A bigger part of me doesn't give a fuck. While I love them and missed them, this moment right now is between me and my dad. At this point, I wouldn't even care if Wally saw -

Wait, where is Wally?

* * *

><p>There were only so many times that Wally could vibrate through objects before he became completely exhausted. Sure, most of Hunter's fingers were now broken from punching trees that Wally had vibrated through, but he was still able to keep fighting. By now, Wally had spent most of the fight vibrating, and was extremely tired. But he had to keep going. Defend or die, and Wally wasn't willing to die just yet.<p>

"That little trick is only going to work for a little longer, West!" yelled Hunter as he wound up for another hit. Wally just dodge the oncoming punch, and scampered back a few meters to gather his bearings. He took a moment to think – by now; the island had three more minutes before it was going to blow. That wasn't much time – even for a speedster. He had to think fast.

Hunter broke Wally's train of thought by releasing screech into the atmosphere. The last punch must have really hurt his fingers. "That's it, West!" he growled through the pain. Wally back into a tree, and paused – quickly analyzing the area, he saw his window of opportunity.

Hunter charged at him at full speed. If Wally hadn't been a speedster himself, he would have missed the moment in the blink of an eye. Luckily, he didn't. When Hunter was close enough, he grabbed the back of Hunter's head and banged it into the tree he was standing in front of. Hunter passed out right away from the force, impact, and speed at which he banged his head.

When he was sure that Hunter was completely knocked-out, Wally took the time to look down at his friend. Hunter's nose had begun to bleed much like Wally's had when he was training. For a moment, Wally felt sorry for what he did. He couldn't help but remember the dark secret Hunter had confided in him, and thought it might have something to do with his villainy now.

Sighing, Wally picked-up his frienemy and tossed his over his shoulder. Without another word, Wally charged towards the beach.

Only a few seconds later, Wally reached the edge of the forest. He was slightly hesitant to step onto the sand, as there could be something horrible waiting for him. He poked his head out of the bushes and evaluated the scene with his own eyes.

And what a strange sight it was.

Ra's, Cheshire, and Vertigo were all bound by nets and lying on the ground. Vertigo was knocked out while the other two were obviously awake – but for some reason, they were remaining completely still, watching something.

Across from them stood approximately 19 henchmen. 7 of them had a death grip on his teammates – yet as they were all staring off into one direction, the grips were becoming looser. Wally followed their gazes towards a point in the middle of the two groups. At the waters edge, he saw the back of Artemis. She was sitting on – something. Wally couldn't quite make it out. But whatever was happening, it couldn't have been good since both groups were stunned with silence. No one's moving, yet after Wally's calculations, they only have another 2 minutes to get off the island. They have to move fast.

"Artemis!" he called from the bushes as he lunged out of the forest.

* * *

><p>The sound of my name breaks my trance. Turing towards the cause of the sound, I turn to see Wally coming toward me.<p>

SMACK!

My dad's hand comes out of nowhere and smacks me so hard across my face that I fall off his body and into the water. Shit. I totally forgot about dad. He must have freed a hand while Wally distracted me.

My eyes are filled with salty water, so I can't see very well. But I can hear my dad practically coughing his lunges out. "I'll get you for that, you little bitch!" he yells between coughs. The rage in his voice makes it clear to me that next time we meet; he'll want my blood. Can you imagine that? A father actually out of his own daughters death. not a drop of love is preventing him from wanting to kill me the next time we meet.

But their can't be a next time, I have to get him now or I'll never find him!

I quickly jump to my feet just in time to see him fling Jade over his shoulder, Ra's over the other, and bend down next to Vertigo. I break out into a full sprint, I have to get him! I'm so close!

...But it's too late. Sportsmaster reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little metal ball. Chucking it at the ground, the ball releases a thick smoke. It clouds my vision and causes for me to cough.

No. It can't be.

But it is.

When the smoke clears, Ra's, Jade, Vertigo, and Dad are gone.

All gone.

I was so close.

I fall to my knees and let out a wild scream. He was right there! I had him! I could have ended it! It would all be over now. But the plan failed – I failed!

I pound one fist against the ground and dig my fingernails into the sand with the other hand with a deranged fury. I can't blame Wally, it was my fault. I should have been ready for anything - especially surprises. Who knows what kind of mess I left behind during my plan! I failed! And right now, that's all that matters!~

A lot must have happened while I was on the ground like that – M'Gann must have woken up and helped free the other members of the team. Once loose, Zatanna must have bound the henchmen. Everything was peaceful – except for the fact that we only had 60 seconds to evacuate the island.

But for some reason, I don't care if I'm about to get blown to smithereens.

I failed my team. I deserve to die. For real this time…

* * *

><p>The team got to work right away;<p>

Kaldur used his powers to collect a platform of water that lifted 7 of the henchmen onto the boat. Superboy and Roy were able to carry 3 more (two for Superboy, one for Roy). Both Zatanna and M'Gann were able to levitate five men each. When the henchmen were all on the boat, it was time for the team to load.

Wally stayed behind to collect Hunter. He had left the blonde boy amongst the trees, and quickly collected him as he dashed to the boat. On his way to the boat, he saw that Artemis was still on the beach. She seemed to be crying over something – something Wally was unaware of. "What are you doing? We have to go!" he didn't give her time to answer as he swept her up and carried her to the boat. She struggled some in his arms, but he didn't really notice, he was too busy concentrating on the fact that they only had seconds to live.

When everyone was on board, Kaldur looked out to the sea. He was weak by now after using so much power, but the boat was too close to the island and had to be moved. It would be to heavy for M'Gann, and they didn't have time for Zatanna to try anything new. So, inhaling deeply, Kaldur manipulated the tide to carry the boat away at a quick pace. It hurt like hell, but it had to be done.

"Five more seconds," muttered Robin from behind him. "We should be at a safe distance," Kaldur nodded and ceased the spell. Falling to the ground with weakness, he gently gasped for air as he glanced up to look at the island.

In no more than three seconds, the island was a flame.

A mushroom cloud of smoke blinded the stars above in less than a minute, and long sighs from the younger villains could be heard as they hung their heads in defeat.

Kaldur dropped his head and continued to gasp for air "It... is... over..."

* * *

><p>I watched as every bit of my plan went up into flames before my eyes. The undercover illusion was broken, no matter which way you looked at it.<p>

My 'new' team says nothing – they don't need to. They've figured it out for themselves. Not so much the details or my motives, but they understand that I was never one of them.

My hands are rested by my sides. The orange aura from the flame illuminates them as I clench them into a fist.

Sportsmaster got away. Everything I had worked for was now turning to ash. He was gone, and I have no hope in finding him anywhere. My blood boils with rage and regret. But also a fear that he'll be back. And when he comes back, hell will break loose with him.

Then, I feel a hand in mine. A gloved hand curls itself against my bare fingers and squeezes gently. I don't have to turn to see who it is - Wally.

We pause for a moment, watching the fire pulsate. Although we are at a far distance, I can smell the burning trees from out here. The EPA won't be pleased about this. We don't talk, we just stand there and watch. Nothing needs to be said in this moment between us.

"Artemis?"

A soft smile tugs at my lips as my eyes begin to fill with tears. Wally and I exchange a gentle smile before I completely turn around.

Robin stumbles forward out of the pack – pauses – then charges head on in my direction. He throws his arms around me and pulls me in close, gently nuzzling his face into my neck. He's gotten taller than the last time I saw him. I hear him choking slightly within his throat, but no sounds of joy are to be heard from his mouth. After all this and he's still the strongest little boy I know. He pulls away and smiles up at me. He presses his fingers against his mask (probably so it can absorb his tears) and whispers "Way to get traught,"

I smile some, before a strong hand lands on my right shoulder and spins me around. Before I can identify who it is, they pull me in for a tight hug. So tight that I start to loose air. Although this hugger doesn't say anything, I can tell from the way he's breathing and his distinctive scent that it's Superboy. I feel as though he doesn't know what to say in a moment like this, and that's perfectly okay with me. Seeing him again is enough to create a waterfall of tears from my eyes. He is, after all, my white rabbit.

When Superboy breaks, I turn slightly and see Kaldur. He's joyful teary expression matches mine. He cups his webbed hands around my face and, with a single salty tear dripping from his eye, he says the only word in Atlantian I know; "Sister," We share a warm embrace is which re-familiarizes me with the feel of his jellyfish skin – thick and blubbery – a feeling that I greatly missed and thought I was never feel again.

"Guys-?," says M'gann meekly. She hasn't seen me - she doesn't know yet. Kaldur releases me and exposes me to M'gann.

At first, she squints – scrutinizing my face with her questioning eyes. Then, those dark eyes widen. Stumbling back a bit she throws a hand over he mouth to keep from screaming. Tears are literally flowing from her eyes and staining her green face. Without a word spoken, I extend my arms. She flies into them – almost tackling me to the ground, and entraps me in a hug. "Artemis!" she cries repeatedly. She holds me the longest - keeping me close - making up for lost time and refusing to let me go again. Every so often, she kisses my check. It breaks my hear to know how much I mean to her after a few months – more then I do to my father.

Superboy eventually peels her away gently to let me gather myself. When he does she falls into his arms and continues to cry. Seeing M'gann like this hurts me. If she's an emotional wreak now, what has she been like in my absence? I can only imagine, and it hurts me to know that I was the one who caused it.

Then, Roy steps forward and looks down at me for a long time. His face is completely neutral and still. I stare back into his domino mask - I can only imagine how his eyes look right now. Everyone else is silent as they watch this interaction. Another moment passes, and Roy just walks away to the side of the boat and leans over the railing. I continue to stare at the place where he once stood. It's like an arrow went through my heart. He's angry with me? Why am I surprised? I knew he didn't think much of me.

"Are you serious?" yells Robin "Artemis is alive and you treat he like garbage!" he stomps over to Roy's side and pushes him ruffly in the shoulder. Robin is strong - but not strong enough to make Roy budge. Roy turns his head and glances at Robin. He doesn't speak, but instead walks calmly into the boat's operating room. Everyone watches him with disgust as he closes the door behind him.

Everyone turned to Kaldur - waiting for the 'okay' to bang the door down and go after Roy. Kaldur pauses, but stiffly shakes his head 'no' with his eyes glaring at the door Roy had just closed.

It is at that moment that Robin utters his first curse; "Fuck you,"he says with gritted teeth and tears in his eyes.

"Forget that jerk," says Zatanna, but I can't. I almost don't realize that she is now wrapping her arms around me and pulling me in for a tight hug. I love M'Gann, but Zatanna and I have always been closer. I consider her my sister now.

When we break, Wally steels me away for a moment. Together we watch the sea move and crash against the boat. Other than the island burning a few 100 yards away, it is a rather peaceful night.

In a way, and I can feel the rage from my failure lifting. Just to know that I'm back with my friends is oddly enough. It's strange to think that my friends have this effect on me. As I child, I barely knew love. Even after my mom got out of prison, we were always distant. I love my mother, and she is a part of my biological family – but this group of amazing people I'm with just makes life that much better.

I love my friends.

"Look,"

We all turn at Superboy's whisper and see him pointing up at the sky. Following the direction of his finger, we see tiny black dots coming down from space and flying into our direction.

Right now, I can't tell what they are. But as they draw closer and closer, they begin to form the shapes of familiar people – wearing signature and very recognizable uniforms. Crap.

"It is the League," says Kaldur.

I forgot about them…

* * *

><p><span>Ending B: Part 1<span>

Power is like a drug. It's so damn addictive. The power I feel over my dad right now, for example, is giving me goose bumps with awe and a crazed curiosity to see what happens from here. What's scaring me is that I can't stop.

Wait. Yes I can! I can't just kill my father! Sure, he's an asshole, but I can't just kill him - I refuse to stoop to his level.

Before I release him, I bind his hands with his own handcuffs that he keeps in his utility belt. After which I turn him onto his front and let him cough out the water and gasp for air. When his throat is clear, he narrows his eyes at me with a pure hatred for me - his own daughter.

"You little bi-"

I give him a harsh kick to the face before he can finish his sentence. I won't kill him, just shut him up. "Bastard," I mutter.

And there is goes - the weight just lifting right off my shoulders. I've got him, I've got my dad. Months of creating the biggest mess of my life has finally paid off. I collapse and feel the sand grind into my knees. I smile at the sky with relief and happiness. No more running, no more fear.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps charge towards me. Shit! I forgot about the others! But then, I hear "Dnib mih!"

I quickly turn to see the man that was holding Zatanna now inches away from me, yet bound by rope.

"Dnib lla fo eht nem!"

Then, all of the men are bound and on the ground. My eyes grow big as a look to Zatanna. That's what families do - they protect each other. I may have a crappy biological family, but I love the one I have right now.

"We must hurry! Load all of the captives onto the boat!" yells Kaldur.

The rest of the team gets to work. M'gann is still out, but at least we're working together-

Wait, where's Wally?

* * *

><p>There were only so many times that Wally could vibrate through objects before he became completely exhausted. Sure, most of Hunter's fingers were now broken from punching trees that Wally had vibrated through, but he was still able to keep fighting. By now, Wally had spent most of the fight vibrating, and was extremely tired. But he had to keep going. Defend or die, and Wally wasn't willing to die just yet.<p>

"That little trick is only going to work for a little longer, West!" yelled Hunter as he wound up for another hit. Wally just dodge the oncoming punch, and scampered back a few meters to gather his bearings. He took a moment to think – by now; the island had three more minutes before it was going to blow. That wasn't much time – even for a speedster. He had to think fast.

Hunter broke Wally's train of thought by releasing screech into the atmosphere. The last punch must have really hurt his fingers. "That's it, West!" he growled through the pain.

Wally was giving little to no warning as Hunter charged at him once more. This time, he was able to land a powerful punch in Wally gut - knocking a full amount of air out of the redhead and making it hard for him to breathe again. Wally fell to all fours. Clutching his stomach with his right hand, he gasped for air.

Hunter started laughing as he watched Wally try to breathe. "You see, West? You and your little family of Speedsters are no match for me," Hunter crouched over and lifted Wally's head so he could look him in the eye. Wally could have attack him, but he still couldn't breathe. "Count your blessings, West, cause I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to leave you here, and let you bask in your failure. You may be Flash's little slave boy, but you'll never amount to anything. Next time we meet, you better give me a chall- ah!"

Hunter was interrupted as Wally reached out and punched the boy in the jaw. That blow sent Hunter to the ground and on his back "How's that for a challenge?"

"Wally!"

Wally snapped his head in the direction of the beach. Artemis was calling for him.

"Next time, West!" yelled Hunter. By the time Wally brought his head around and back to the blonde speedster, he had vanished. Wally cursed at the ground, but hopped up quickly. Somehow, he knew that Hunter would be safe, but he wasn't entirely sure that he would be.

Wally ran onto the bout, with only seconds to spare. When everyone was on board, Kaldur looked out to the sea. He was weak by now after using so much power, but the boat was too close to the island and had to be moved. It would be to heavy for M'Gann, and they didn't have time for Zatanna to try anything new. So, inhaling deeply, Kaldur manipulated the tide to carry the boat away at a quick pace. It hurt like hell, but it had to be done.

"Five more seconds," muttered Robin from behind him. "We should be at a safe distance," Kaldur nodded and ceased the spell. Falling to the ground with weakness, he gently gasped for air as he glanced up to look at the island.

In no more than three seconds, the island was a flame.

A mushroom cloud of smoke blinded the stars above in less than a minute, and long sighs from the younger villains could be heard as they hung their heads in defeat.

Kaldur dropped his head and continued to gasp for air "It... is... over..."

* * *

><p>As I watch the island go up in flames, I feel tears in the back of my eyes. My plan was successful, even more so now that we have Ra's aboard. The best part is, I'm back where I belong now, and I have no intention of ever leaving again.<p>

As I continue to watch the island, I feel a hand in mine. A gloved hand curls itself against my bare fingers and squeezes gently. I don't have to turn to see who it is - Wally.

We pause for a moment, watching the fire pulsate. Although we are at a far distance, I can smell the burning trees from out here. The EPA won't be pleased about this. We don't talk, we just stand there and watch. Nothing needs to be said in this moment between us.

"Artemis?"

A soft smile tugs at my lips as my eyes begin to fill with tears. Wally and I exchange a gentle smile before I completely turn around.

Robin stumbles forward out of the pack – pauses – then charges head on in my direction. He throws his arms around me and pulls me in close, gently nuzzling his face into my neck. He's gotten taller than the last time I saw him. I hear him choking slightly within his throat, but no sounds of joy are to be heard from his mouth. After all this and he's still the strongest little boy I know. He pulls away and smiles up at me. He presses his fingers against his mask (probably so it can absorb his tears) and whispers "Way to get traught,"

I smile some, before a strong hand lands on my right shoulder and spins me around. Before I can identify who it is, they pull me in for a tight hug. So tight that I start to loose air. Although this hugger doesn't say anything, I can tell from the way he's breathing and his distinctive scent that it's Superboy. I feel as though he doesn't know what to say in a moment like this, and that's perfectly okay with me. Seeing him again is enough to create a waterfall of tears from my eyes. He is, after all, my white rabbit.

When Superboy breaks, I turn slightly and see Kaldur. He's joyful teary expression matches mine. He cups his webbed hands around my face and, with a single salty tear dripping from his eye, he says the only word in Atlantian I know; "Sister," We share a warm embrace is which re-familiarizes me with the feel of his jellyfish skin – thick and blubbery – a feeling that I greatly missed and thought I was never feel again.

"Guys-?," says M'gann meekly as she beings to wake up. She hasn't seen me - she doesn't know yet. Kaldur releases me and exposes me to M'gann.

At first, she squints – scrutinizing my face with her questioning eyes. Then, those dark eyes widen. Stumbling back a bit she throws a hand over he mouth to keep from screaming. Tears are literally flowing from her eyes and staining her green face. Without a word spoken, I extend my arms. She flies into them – almost tackling me to the ground, and entraps me in a hug. "Artemis!" she cries repeatedly. She holds me the longest - keeping me close - making up for lost time and refusing to let me go again. Every so often, she kisses my check. It breaks my hear to know how much I mean to her after a few months – more then I do to my father.

Superboy eventually peels her away gently to let me gather myself. When he does she falls into his arms and continues to cry. Seeing M'gann like this hurts me. If she's an emotional wreak now, what has she been like in my absence? I can only imagine, and it hurts me to know that I was the one who caused it.

Then, Roy steps forward and looks down at me for a long time. His face is completely neutral and still. I stare back into his domino mask - I can only imagine how his eyes look right now. Everyone else is silent as they watch this interaction. Another moment passes, and Roy just walks away to the side of the boat and leans over the railing. I continue to stare at the place where he once stood. It's like an arrow went through my heart. He's angry with me? Why am I surprised? I knew he didn't think much of me.

"Are you serious?" yells Robin "Artemis is alive and you treat he like garbage!" he stomps over to Roy's side and pushes him ruffly in the shoulder. Robin is strong - but not strong enough to make Roy budge. Roy turns his head and glances at Robin. He doesn't speak, but instead walks calmly into the boat's operating room. Everyone watches him with disgust as he closes the door behind him.

Everyone turned to Kaldur - waiting for the 'okay' to bang the door down and go after Roy. Kaldur pauses, but stiffly shakes his head 'no' with his eyes glaring at the door Roy had just closed.

It is at that moment that Robin utters his first curse; "Fuck you,"he says with gritted teeth and tears in his eyes.

"Forget that jerk," says Zatanna, but I can't. I almost don't realize that she is now wrapping her arms around me and pulling me in for a tight hug. I love M'Gann, but Zatanna and I have always been closer. I consider her my sister now.

When we break, Wally steels me away for a moment. Together we watch the sea move and crash against the boat. Other than the island burning a few 100 yards away, it is a rather calm night - everything is peaceful, including - no - especially myself. This joyous occasion as created a zen like attitude in my body. Nothing to worry about now.

Then, we all here a soft "Look,"

We all turn at Superboy's whisper and see him pointing up at the sky. Following the direction of his finger, we see tiny black dots coming down from space and flying into our direction.

Right now, I can't tell what they are. But as they draw closer and closer, they begin to form the shapes of familiar people – wearing signature and very recognizable uniforms. Crap.

"It is the League," says Kaldur.

I forgot about them. So much for 'peacefulness'

* * *

><p><strong>So, which ending do you like better so far? Let me know in the REVIEWS as well as what you think of my writing and plot development in general.<strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, sorry for this next bit. **

**What was building up to be a Spitfire story totally ended as something else. **

**Don't worry, it will end with fluff. This chapter just has a lot of scenes that popped into my head and I wanted to include them in the story. I hope these next few scenes aren't totally random.**

**Gah... I'm terrified to see what you think... but still... enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Ending A+B Part II<span>

In exactly two minutes and thirty-three seconds, I will have been awake for 24 hours. And I probably won't be able to sleep for another five.

Right after the League spotted us on the ocean in Hawaii, we were all haled up to the Watch Tower. As soon as we all arrived, the League congregated in their conference room and brought their Junior team with them. Our captives were placed in holding cells, and I was told to wait outside.

It's been an hour, and my friends are still in their.

I can only imagine what their saying right now...

* * *

><p><span>Ending A Part III<span>

"And you're positive that none of you knew anything of Artemis' plans?" asked Batman skeptically.

Unlike usual, the group held their ground strong. On every other occasion where the League scolded them, they coward like children in front of the older members. But their best friend was on trail - they needed to stand up for her.

Kaldur acted as the main voice for the team. Primarily because of his calm and rational tone - and the fact that he was their leader. "Yes. All of us believed that she was dead," confirmed Kaldur with a firm nod.

Batman narrowed his eyes at his young apprentice. Although he himself had no idea that Artemis was alive, he couldn't help but wonder if his ward knew anything of her existence. Batman had, after all, trained Robin to be the teams best detective. "And you?" he asked darkly.

Robin met the eyes of his mentor. A chunk of his heart was pissed at him - all Robin wanted to do was be united with one of his best friends. He couldn't believe that the League was acting like such assholes. Sure, he could understand why, but that didn't make them in the right. Robin remained silent (in fear of saying something horrible) and shook his head slowly.

The League members exchanged sighs. They, in their many years of experience, had dealt with situations worse than this. But they could control them - they were mature. Artemis' was just a teenager and she was able to outsmart them all. This truly was something new for the older members of the League.

"We understand that you are all emotionally attached to Artemis," began Batman. "But not only did she place you in danger, she could have deteriorated the entirety of the Justice League, and put us all in the mercy of the Shadows,"

"But she didn't, did she?" The room all placed their focus on Wally as the younger speedster stepped forward. "All she wanted to do, was protect _us_!" he said, using his hands to gesture to his friends that stood firmly behind him.

"By placing _you_ in danger. We were able to find some security tapes of your first encounter - don't think we forgot about the shot she took at Aqualad," said the Flash, trying to gain control over his apprentice.

"However, she missed," Kaldur stepped forward to stand next to Wally "Artemis' is a talented archer, and she had a clear shot. If she wanted to hurt me, should would have," he said darkly.

"And the trap on the island?" interject Captain Adam coldly.

Kaldur took a short breath to keep from getting frustrated with the League - for him, it was hard not to at this point. "I believe she was not aware of it. Other members of her team were still on the island, and I am convinced they weren't willing to sacrifice themselves," the aquatic hero narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "None of them knew." He could sense the punishing eyes of his mentor upon him as well, but Artemis was like a sister to him, and he was ready to fight for her.

Batman glanced around the room once, then focused his attention back on the younger heros. "Thank you for answering our questions," he mumbled. "Now, we will let you vote on whether or not Artemis should stay on the team," The younger members furrowed their brows at their leader. A motion they never did, but couldn't help to do in this situation. "Keep in mind that Artemis could have been responsible for your death as well as compromise the safety of the world," no response (other than a continued glare) came from the younger team. "After your vote, the League will discuss Artemis' position with _your_ best interest in mind," more silence came from the Junior members. Batman sighed and rubbed his temples. They were making everything a lot harder - not like this discussion wasn't hard already. "You are young, and therefore have no experience with issues like these. When you get older, you will understand why certain things must be done,"

"But until then," said Kaldur as he uncrossed his arms. The League jolted at the sound of his voice. He paused and glanced over at his team in the corner of his eye before looking at Batman once more. "I will stand by Artemis. I vote for her to stay,"

"Me too!" said Wally darkly, crossing his arms strongly against his chest.

Robin stepped forward "Me three,"

"I vote in favor of Artemis," said M'Gann.

"Same," added Zatanna as she joined Robin at his side.

Superboy wrapped a strong arm protectively and comfortingly around M'Gann "Artemis' stays. End of story," he growled.

Then, they all looked to Roy.

He hadn't said a word for the whole hearing - just stood with his arms gently crossed over his chest and a stern look like covered his face.

"Roy?"

Batman's voice caused Roy to jump a bit, as if he had been really thinking for the whole hearing and not really paying attention. He looked to the Dark Knight, who stared intently back at him. "What do you say?"

A pause. Then, "... No,"

"What!" Wally stomped angrily over to Roy. While Roy was at least a head taller than Wally, Wally felt as though the rage inside him made him grow taller than Roy. "She saved your life and all of ours!"

"She almost _killed_ Sportsmaster!" Roy's voice elevated to a level that silenced Wally. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not what hero's are supposed to do!"

Wally frowned and clinched his jaw so tightly that his face began to turn red. "So she made a mistake. Like everyone here is perfect!" he said, shoving Roy slightly with his hands.

Roy barred his teeth at the young speedster "You've got a lot of nerve, _Kid_," he spat - voice full of venom.

"You're one to talk _Speedy_!"

"Why you little-"

"ROY!"

The room fell silent once more as Green Arrow jumped out of his seat. If there's one thing he never did, it was raise his voice at his former partner. But in this moment, he literally could not take another moment of Roy's shit.

Roy snarled at his former mentor "Fine," Roy gave Wally one last push and stormed off to a zeta-tube that was in the room. "But I'll be damned if I have to hang around a murderer like her!"

"You know she is not a murderer," said Kaldur darkly, giving his closest surface friend an angry glare.

_Recognize: Red Arrow - Bee Zero Six_

Before the white light completely consumed him, he glared around the room. "Yet apparently, there's a lot more we _don't_ know about her," And with that, he was gone.

Green Arrow took his seat and buried his face deep in his hands. He never meant to raise his voice at Roy, but there were times were it had to be done. Batman gave the eldest archer a pat on the back before returning his attention to the youngest heros in the room.

"You are all dismissed until further notice,"

Hesitantly, the younger members began to take there leave. Once they were gone, slight sighs from the entire League could be heard. Green Arrow looked over to where Batman had his eyes glued to the place were his young ward once stood. "So, what happens now?"

Batman looked back over to Green Arrow. "Now _we_ talk to Artemis,"

* * *

><p>I can hardly concentrate on what's happening in the meeting. My thoughts are still with my dad.<p>

I can't believe a let him get away. I was so close. And now, my friends and I are in more danger than ever before.

But who am I kidding? It's all because of me that they were in danger in the first place. I don't regret what I did, I'm only enraged that I didn't finish the job.

Finish the job - I sound just like him; the man I almost killed - dad.

I rub my face harshly with my hands. What am I? What have a turned into? I almost killed my dad. That's not how a hero thinks. A hero shouldn't enjoy killing someone, a hero should never resort to death.

I look to the door of the conference room. In there are real heros. People who would never hurt - correction - never kill anyone. That's what a real hero is.

I feel a tear come to my eye. I'll never be a true hero. I'm just a girl who likes to play dress up.

I stand furiously from my seat and march to the nearest zeta-tube. My dad is still out there. I need to stop him. He's already after my friends - for real this time - and he's out for my blood. I can't subject my friends to his evil. This must end, and I'm not going to wait around for the League to tell me to leave. I'll take it right now.

I've already broken hero law. So this is going to happen my way.

_Recognize: Artemis - Bee Zero Seven_

* * *

><p>When the younger members of the League stepped out into the hall, they were surprised that Artemis was not sitting where they left her. Wally dashed frantically about the small vicinity that they left her in "Where did she go?" he asked nervously.<p>

"She's never been to the Watch Tower before, she could have gone to look around," suggested Zatanna, trying to keep things a little light hearted. The timing may have been a little inappropriate, but she wanted to keep her friends calm.

"At a time like this?" asked Superboy. Zatanna let her eyes drop to the floor, it was a pretty silly idea.

"She probably zeta'd back to earth. The question is; where?" asked Robin scratching his chin.

"Speaking of which," said M'gann abruptly "Where did Kaldur go?"

* * *

><p>I never though that I'd have to break into my own house. That was something my sister always did. She thought I was always sleeping when she would sneak in to see me and my mom. Little did she know, I was always wide awake during her visits.<p>

She only came in every two months or so. I guess it was because she secretly missed home. But she would come in through my window and give me a kiss on the cheek. It made me happy knowing she would come back. Knowing that she secretly did care about me.

She would then usually go to my mom's room, give her a kiss, then sneak out my mom's window. I guess my mother knew as well, cause she would always be smiling the next morning.

However, I promised myself I would never leave my mother. That I would never be like Jade and have to sneak in and out of my own home. But, I already broke the hero's oath, might as well break this promise.

What's the point of letting my mother know I'm alive? If I'm going after dad, I might end up dead anyway.

I toss my duffle-bag on my bed and begin to fill it up with the necessities; cloths, money, feminine stuff, what am I forgetting?

I look around the room the see if anything will jog my memory of what I'm leaving behind. My eyes land on my sister's _Alice in Wonderland_ poster.

My sister, Cheshire - Jade.

I remember the night Jade left more vividly than any other event in my life. The night changed my life forever. It was as if the real world came up to me and punch me square in the face.

I remember her saying "In this family, it's every girl for herself,"

I remember thinking that it only applied to our family, and it did. The new one I formed with my friends showed me differently. My team showed me that it's "One for all, and all for one,"

But I've more or less been rejected from that family for going against everything that they believed in. Now, I'm back to my blood family. "Every girl for herself,"

I sigh "Toothbrush." I mumbled to the darkness.

I go to my bathroom and retrieve the dark purple toothbrush. However, when I step back into my bed room, a dark figure is waiting there for me.

My heart beat quickens drastically as I strike a fighting pose. "Who are you?" I whisper loudly. The figure gently raises their hands and steps forward. As it moves, the light from my bedroom window illuminates the figure. I squint in disbelief "Kaldur?"

"I did not mean to frighten you," he responds. "Or to break in. I saw the open window and-"

"How did you know I would be here?" I demand as I relax out of my fighting pose. "How do you know where I live?" he shouldn't know. I never told him.

He too relaxes his arms "I figured you would not want to return to the cave," he began. "And we learned of your whereabouts after your 'death'. The funeral was in Gotham, and the team and I visited your mother here,"

I shuddered when he said 'death'. So did he somewhat. I sighed and returned to packing. "Why are you here then? Coming to deliver that news that I'm kicked off the team? I figured as much," I spit as I harshly shove my toothbrush into the side compartment.

I can't see him, but I can feel a slight frown forming on his stern face. "Nothing is official, Artemis. Your place on the team is still-"

"Questionable?" I interrupt. I hear him sigh from behind me.

There is a brief pause before he pops the questions. "Why are you packing? Where are you going?"

I turn to face him. I notice the look of concern on his face which melts away the stern expression on mine. He truly is like a big brother to me, and I a sister to him. Some sister I turned out to be - leaving him again like this. "My-my dad is still out there," his eyes fall to the floor as he nods. "I can't wait for the League to tell me where to go or what to do. I have to find him," my voice becomes shaky. I was so determined in my head to go after my father. But seeing Kaldur like this only brings back memories of how my friends reacted to seeing me alive. Can I really do this? Can I bear to break there spirits again? That's not what true friend - family do to each other. But I have to do this. My dad is still out there. I return to packing. "So if you want to try and convince me to stay, then you're shit out of luck,"

I wait a moment to hear him plead for me to stay. But, in his softest voice, he says "I did not come to stop you. I want to go with you,"

I stop my packing and turn to him once more. This time, my facial expression is shocked. "What? Why?"

Kaldur sighs. He then uses his head to gesture Jade's old bed. I nod and he takes a seat on it. "While I was on the beach in Hawaii, Ra's told me that... that my father is Black Manta," he hangs his head.

I gasp "But, but you said-"

"As it turns out, I was wrong about him," Kaldur's fingers begin to tighten around his forearm. I know what he's going through. I've been through it many times. The feeling of betrayal and self loathing you feel knowing your family is on the wrong side. "And I feel as though I must find him, and stop him if I can,"

This doesn't sound like Kaldur to me. The Kaldur I know is rational and level-headed. He would never risk going after a villain alone, especially one he knows nothing about. "Kaldur," I let my voice soften "Why don't you just go to the League,"

He shuts his eyes tight and turns away. "I - I cannot,"

And then it hits me.

He is ashamed.

He is ashamed of who his father is - he is ashamed of his own blood. Kaldur is pure good, and knowing that his veins are filled with bad blood must scare him in a way. I don't think he wants to actually stop his father, just find him.

I gently rub my neck. I can't take Kaldur with me. As much as I want to, the League will find it suspicious if we both disappear. "Kaldur, I-I have to go alone," I say. He looks up at me with sad eyes. "I look for your dad, but-"

"I do not believe I asked for your opinion or your permission," his voce becomes harsh. It almost frightens me. "I asked for your help,"

We sit in the darkness for a moment. Kaldur hangs his head again, and I stare into the silver locks upon his head. He truly is like a brother to me. He has stood beside me, stood up for me, and, most importantly, cared for me. To him, it didn't matter who I was, where I came from, or what I've done. He's always been there for me. The least I can do is help him.

I slowly walk towards him and get down onto my knees. Gently, I take his hands in mine, and we look deep into each others eyes. "Okay. I'll help you,"

He smiles softly before pulling me into a hug. When we break, we looked seriously at the other. "But we can't do it now,"

His face falls "Why?"

I stand from the ground and begin to unpack my bag. "If we disappear, the League will be hot on our tails. If we quit, they will keep tabs on us. If-if we fake our death..." I pause to take in a deep breath "They will be suspicious,"

Kaldur stands "So... what do we do?"

"We wait,"

"For what?"

I don't even know the answer to the question. "For the right opportunity. If we go, we need a good reason, and good timing," I toss my freshly empty duffle into my closet where I keep it.

He nods "What else?"

I think for a moment. "Finding our dads will be tough... it will take a really intricate plan. And possible, some outside help,"

He squints at me "What are you suggesting?" he asks.

I scratch me head. It's weird when the boy you look to as your leader is asking you what to do. "It-it might take another inside job," I admit. I see no other way of finding our dads unless we go behind enemy lines. "But we'll have to go much further down the rabbit whole than I did,"

"I understand, and I am ready," says Kaldur "But outside help?"

I remove my 'Tigress' vest. I forgot I had the thing on. "We'll need some more people to help us. I don't know how and I don't know why. But if we're going in as deep as we intend to, it will take a few more hands to dig,"

Kaldur nods again and makes his way for the window. "If the League asks where you went, I will tell them that you wanted to be alone with your mother," my heart beats painfully against my chest. I forgot about her.

"Thank you,"

He hops onto the window pain "How long do you think it will take to put our plan in action?" he asks

I look once more to the _Alice in Wonderland_ poster. "Perhaps years,"

Before he vanishes completely, he turns and calls to me "Artemis?" with a smile, he says "It's good to have you back,"

I smile at me honorary brother "It's good to be back,"

With that, he disappears into the night. Probably heading up to the Watch Tower to tell the team where I am. I glance to the door of my room. My mom is on the other side of the door somewhere. The team, my plan with Kaldur, all of that can wait. Right now, I need to see my mother - the only part of my bloodline that I'm proud to call family.

* * *

><p><span>Ending B Part III<span>

"And you're positive that none of you knew anything of Artemis' plans?" asked Batman skeptically.

Unlike usual, the group held their ground strong. On every other occasion where the League scolded them, they coward like children in front of the older members. But their best friend was on trail - they needed to stand up for her.

Kaldur spoke primarily because of his calm and rational tone. "Yes. All of us believed that she was dead," confirmed Kaldur with a firm nod.

Batman narrowed his eyes at his young apprentice. Although he himself had no idea that Artemis was alive, he couldn't help but wonder if his ward knew anything of her existence. Batman had, after all, trained Robin to be the teams best detective. "And you?" he asked darkly.

Robin met the eyes of his mentor. A chunk of his heart was pissed at him - all Robin wanted to do was be united with one of his best friends. He couldn't believe that the League was acting like such assholes. Sure, he could understand why, but that didn't make them in the right. Robin remained silent (in fear of saying something horrible) and shook his head slowly.

The League members exchanged sighs. They, in their many years of experience, had dealt with situations worse than this. But they could control them - they were mature. Artemis' was just a teenager and she was able to outsmart them all. This truly was something new for the older members of the League.

"We understand that you are all emotionally attached to Artemis," began Batman. "But not only did she place you in danger, she could have deteriorated the entirety of the Justice League, and put us all in the mercy of the Shadows,"

"But she didn't, did she?" The room all placed their focus on Wally as the younger speedster stepped forward. "All she wanted to do, was protect _us_! Which she did! Not to mention capturing two powerhouse Shadow assassins, their leader, and Count Vertigo"

"By placing _you_ in danger. We re-watched the tapes of your first encounter - she took a shot at Aqualad," said the Flash, trying to gain control over his apprentice.

"However, she missed," Kaldur stepped forward to stand next to Wally "Artemis' is a talented archer, and she had a clear shot. If she wanted to hurt me, should would have," he said darkly.

"And the trap on the island?" interject Captain Adam coldly.

Kaldur took a short breath to keep from getting frustrated with the League - for him, it was hard not to at this point. "I believe she was not aware of it. Other members of her team were still on the island, and I am convinced they weren't willing to sacrifice themselves," the aquatic hero narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "None of them knew." He could sense the punishing eyes of his mentor upon him as well, but Artemis was like a sister to him, and he was ready to fight for her.

Batman glanced around the room once, then focused his attention back on the younger heros. "Thank you for answering our questions," he mumbled. "Now, we will let you vote on whether or not Artemis should stay on the team," The younger members furrowed their brows at their leader. A motion they never did, but couldn't help to do in this situation. "Keep in mind that Artemis could have been responsible for your death as well as compromise the safety of the world," no response (other than a continued glare) came from the younger team. "After your vote, the League will discuss Artemis' position with _your_ best interest in mind," more silence came from the Junior members. Batman sighed and rubbed his temples. They were making everything a lot harder - not like this discussion wasn't hard already. "You are young, and therefore have no experience with issues like these. When you get older, you will understand why certain things must be done,"

"But until then," said Kaldur as he uncrossed his arms. The League jolted at the sound of his voice. He paused and glanced over at his team in the corner of his eye before looking at Batman once more. "I will stand by Artemis. I vote for her to stay,"

"Me too!" said Wally darkly, crossing his arms strongly against his chest.

Robin stepped forward "Me three,"

"I vote in favor of Artemis," said M'Gann.

"Same," added Zatanna as she joined Robin at his side.

"Artemis' stays. End of story," growled Superboy wrapping a strong arm protectively and comfortingly around M'Gann.

Then, they all looked to Roy.

He hadn't said a word for the whole hearing - just stood with his arms gently crossed over his chest and a stern look like covered his face.

"Roy?"

Batman's voice caused Roy to jump a bit, as if he had been really thinking for the whole hearing and not really paying attention. He looked to the Dark Knight, who stared intently back at him. "What do you say?"

* * *

><p>When the team finally exited the conference room. I jumped right out of my seat.<p>

The first to approach me is Roy. His eyes stare angrily into mine. When he finally gets close to me, he begins to speak. "I told you not to hurt my friends, and that's the first thing you do," he growls into my ear. I won't respond because he has a point, but what a total son of a bitch. "If this ever happens again, I'm coming after you,"

He marches to the zeta tubes without another word, and disappears into a beam of light. I hang my head in shame. I did hurt my friends. I should pay the penalty.

A look back over to the doors of the conference room. Out pours the rest of my team. Heads held high. I don't know what's happened in there, but I hope for the best.

"What's going on?" I ask the team.

Kaldur places a hand on my shoulder. "The League asked for us to vote on whether or not we want to keep you apart of the team. And, of course, we all said 'yes'," explained Kaldur with a smile.

I frown with confusion. "But, Roy-"

Kaldur smiled "Voted 'yes' as well,"

My eyes grow with surprise. But didn't he just- My thoughts are broken as the door to the conference room flies open. Out rush Black Canary, Captain Marvel, and Green Arrow.

"Artemis!" Black Canary's eyes are flooded with tears as she lifts me off the floor in a tight embrace. She kisses me on the forehead and whirls me around in a state of extremely joyfulness. Captain Marvel does the same. Green Arrow is a little more tame in his welcome, and just gives me a big hug. He doesn't need to do anymore than that, I heard what he said at my 'funeral'.

He presses on his mask - possibly to absorb formed tears. "Roy is also smart, but I never thought one of my protégés would have outsmarted me. Especially when they are so new to the game," he jokes. He always did have a strong sense of humor. I smile back at him and give him another hug. His been like a father too me - the one I always wanted.

But when we break, his face falls. "The League wants to speak with you,"

Shit.

I stuck in air quickly through my nose before following Green Arrow into the conference room.

You'll be fine Artemis, you'll be fine. Just don't say anything stupid.

Before I pass through the big metal doors, and feel something squeeze my hand. Turning, I see Wally, smiling warmly at me "It's going to be okay," he assures me "We've got your back,"

I smile back at him. I really hope he's right.

* * *

><p>When the entire Justice League is staring down at you, you feel the smallest you've ever felt. Tiny, miniscule, regressing to your childhood tendencies to want to run and hide behind something. But you can't do that. In front of them, you have to show whatever is left of your backbone.<p>

Batman inhales deeply before speaking. "Before we make our final decision, we have a few questions," I bob my head up and down slowly. "Did you disclose any information about the Justice League, or your own team, to the League of Shadows?"

I respond with 'no', only feeling over-joyed that it was the truth. The League's shoulders seem to relax in relief.

"Why did you not consult the League before putting your plan into action?"

I stand there like a dear in headlights. "I-I thought it was my personal burden at the time," that's the best answer I can come up with. Well, the one that would make the most sense to them anyway. There are 100 reasons why I didn't tell anyone, but I can't list them all now.

Batman glares at me for a moment. At this point Wonderwoman takes over the questioning. "We understand your intentions of leaving," she begins "But what, pray-tell, were you going to do after you were finished with you plan? What if the plan had failed?"

Another question I don't have an answer to. I just hang my head. She frowns, at which point, Batman returns to the questioning "Were you, or were you not aware of the bomb on the island?"

"I wasn't aware!" I blurt out. My outburst shocks a few of the League members, but how could they - even for a second - think that I would lead my friends to the death?

"And did you, or did you not know that the Ra's you captured was actually an impostor?"

Wait, what?

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Batman shot me another glare. "The man you capture was just a stand-in for the real Ra's. Before interrogation, he swallowed a pill that instantly killed him. The really Ra's would never have done that," A wad of air shoots from my stomach, and falls out of my mouth. This whole time I had been talking to a fake? Batman takes my silence as a 'no'. He glances over to the other League members, all who nod their heads. "Artemis," says the Dark Knight in his most threatening voice. "The League has decided..." I gulp. Here it comes. Goodbye Wally, have fun getting bad guys without me. "To place you under probation,"

My eyes are full of surprise. Are they really giving me a second chance? After all that I've put them through? After all I've done? "You will keep your place on the team. However, you will be monitored strongly by _all_ of us. One more move like this, and you will be permanently removed from the team. Understood?"

"I-I don't know what to say," I really didn't know, but I had to say something.

"Whether we want to admit it or not," begins Superman. "We all make mistakes,"

"While yours was... a little drastic," continues Flash "Some good came out of it," his smile is small and warm, much like his protégés.

"And if nothing good came out of it?" I ask.

"We would have said the same thing anyway," answers Green Arrow, also with a warmer smile.

I smile at my mentor. There was nothing left to be said but "Thank you,"

* * *

><p>Although it had only been a few minutes since Artemis' meeting began, to the team, it felt like she had been in the conference room for hours. Waiting to see how Artemis' stance in the Justice system was decided felt just as long as when Kaldur went looking for her 'body' in the falls.<p>

Everyone was fired up from the meeting. They were either pacing around the waiting room, or sitting on a metal bench. Wally was the only one who wasn't moving in a rhythmic pattern. He would start sitting, then stand and press his ear against the door of the conference, remember that it's sound proof, and return to his seat. Other times, he was stand, lap the Watch Tower in under five seconds, then sit back down again. When he did want to do either of those things, he paced around the waiting room.

No one commented on his agitated and nervous attitude. They were all nervous as well. Wally just unintentionally showed it more.

"How long has it bin?" asked Wally.

Robin checked his holographic watch. "5 minutes,"

A pause.

"How long has it bin now?" he asked again.

Robin checked his watch. "5 minutes and 56 seconds... 57... 58... 59...,"

"I get it,"

"6 minutes,"

"Seriously, Robin?

Robin slide down the bench and patted his friend on the back. It had been a long day, and Robin was only trying to boost Wally's spirits. Of course he too was nervous of the outcome of Artemis' hearing, and found the only way to pass time was to stay positive... or something like that. "Everything will be okay," said the Boy Wonder.

Wally narrowed his eyes at his closest friend on the team. "How are you so sure?"

Robin just smiled "She was able to convince Batman that she was dead. I'm sure she'll find a way out of this one,"

Wally smirked. Robin had a point.

A moment later, one of the metal doors creaked open. Out stepped a slightly shaky Artemis. Still in her 'Tigress' uniform, the now orange-haired archer approached her teammates. Wally was the first to run to her side. He had actually run so fast that he had almost knocked her over.

"So?" he asked. His voice was eager - like a kid at Christmas; excited to know what they got, but nervous it case the gift is terrible.

Artemis looked Wally right in his green eyes, then, she scanned her teammates with her grey ones. "I'm back in,"

What happened next couldn't really be considered a 'dog-pile' as the team didn't knock Artemis to the ground. But at the speed and force the team was able to engulf Artemis in a hug could probably count as a tackle.

It was a group hug to end all group hugs.

Once everyone dispersed, Wally and Artemis had a moment alone. A moment they used to delicately kiss each other in a semi-private atmosphere. When they separated, they paused and looked at each other sentimentally.

"Crock, eh?" chuckled Wally. Artemis shared his chuckle and looked to her feet as she remembered the last conversation they shared so long ago. "That's not too bad,"

Artemis shrugged. "I still like West better,"

"I guess you can have it now. Seeing as you got the hair and all," said Wally as he took a moment to run his fingers through the tips of her shorter and orange hair.

Artemis made a slight disgusted face. "I'm going to dye it back," she snapped.

Wally's face fell slightly. "Why?"

"Cause if we look a like and have the same last name, that would make us related. And relatives can't make-out with each other," she said as-a-matter-of-fact-ly and a mischievous smile.

"That would be gross," agreed Wally as he gave her another kiss. It was strange to think of how before she left, Wally felt awkward and nervous just being in the same room as her. Now, he couldn't stand the thought of not being with her every second of everyday. "So, what now?"

Artemis' smile drop a little. She then stepped away from Wally and glanced over at the zeta tube. "I have to start putting my life back together.

Wally nodded "Do you want for me to come with you?"

Artemis shook her head. "No. I have to do this on my own. I'll see you at the cave tomorrow,"

Wally nodded as he watched her step into the zeta tube. "Don't be gone for too long. These past months have been long enough,"

_Recognize: Artemis - Bee Zero Seven_

Before she disappeared into the flash of light, she nodded sullenly and said "You have no idea,"

After she disappeared, Wally looked to the ground and stared at his feet. "I beg to differ,"

* * *

><p>When the white light settles, I find myself exiting an old telephone booth and entering an ally way that smells of piss and garbage. A smell that I'm all too familiar with.<p>

I'm defiantly in Gotham.

The city seems to welcome me back by playing its traditional sound of sirens and loud civilians. Anyone else would probably find these sounds disturbing, but to me, it's home. It may not be a perfect city (in fact, it's FAR from perfection) but it's still my home, the one I've missed for a long time).

Although, there is something unsettling about this particular ally way. I feel as though, someone is watching me. Never mind, I know who it is. "Either I've gotten better, or you're getting lazy, Roy,"

There's a hesitation before Roy steps out of the shadows. He thinks he can seriously pull the same move on me twice?

"It's been a long day," he grunts. Obviously, he doesn't like being called out.

I smirk. "Sure," I say with a roll of the eyes.

When he gets close enough to me, he stops and crosses his arms. We stand in silence for a moment. I'll give him another moment to sort out his thoughts. I owe him that much for voting 'yes' at my hearing. Which reminds me - "Thanks for... voting in my favor... I guess,"

"I didn't do it for you," he snaps.

Now I'm confused. "Then... why...?"

He sighs and looks away. From the moment I met Roy, I could tell he was the kind of guy who thought he knew everything. This is one of the rare occasions where I've seen him confused. I like it - it's empowering. "You... you have an... effect on people,"

I cock my eyebrow at him. He's not making any sense. Perhaps I could have a little fun with it. "Is this the part where you declare your love for me? Cause I kind of-"

"Don't flatter yourself," he growls.

I smile. "Ouch," I say with a giggle.

He sighs again and rubs his neck. "I-I don't have a lot of things I care about in this world, so I REALLY care about the things that matter to me - my friends matter to me," I nod my head. I can already understand where he's going with this. "I only saved your ass because... you matter to them. And I'll be damned if I'm responsible for their sorrow for taking you away,"

There's another pause. One long enough to let a gentle breeze pass between us. A cat in the alley way purrs loudly before scampering off into the night. Roy Harper may be a dick, but at least he's a caring guy. "Thanks," I mutter. He nods his head quickly, probably not wanting to loose his 'tough guy' appearance. "I care for them too," I add, trying to comfort him.

It doesn't really work. "You better," he says it darkly.

He doesn't really add anything to his statement, just begins to walk off.

Wait no - I'm sick of this! I hate this... distrust we have between us.

"Hey!" I get him to stop in his tracks.

He keeps his back to me, so I approach him slowly. "I like how you care for your friends - enough to let me stay. But just so you know, the reason why I left was to protect them, to keep them from getting hurt,"

His shoulders relax.

"I'm not going to hurt them,"

I think I'm getting through to him.

"And I don't see why we have to keep hating each other when we have so much in common,"

Check and mate.

After a short hesitation and a brief sigh, he turns to face me "Guess I was right. You do have an effect on people," he extends his arm out to me. I shake his hand willingly. Finally, we've made peace.

"So no declaration of love?"

He laughs loudly. "Not a chance, Crock"

I mimic a wince of pain. "That one hurt, Harper,"

He shrugs. "Get used to it. Being friends with me comes with a lot of ugly truths," He turns on his heel and beings to walk.

I place my hands on my hips. "So... we're friends now?" I call to his distancing figure.

"Don't push your luck," he calls back.

"But you said-"

"_Being_ friends, not _we are_ friends,"

I smirk. "That was an ugly truth Mr. Contradictory!"

He doesn't respond, only laughs. A laugh that echos through the ally way, then disappears, along with his looming figure, into the night. So on top of seeing my friends again, I can add 'gaining a new friend' to my list.

It's been a good day... so far anyway.

The building across from the zeta tube entrance is my old apartment building. In that building is my mother - the only part of my bloodline that I'm proud to call family. The one person of my family whom I missed more than anything in the world while I was away. I'll enter the building threw my bedroom window (she always keeps that open).

As I scale the fire escape up to my room, I can only imagine how this re-union with my mother will turn out. I can only hope that she forgives me.

* * *

><p><span>Ending A+B Part IV<span>

Paula Crock sat in her wheel chair in the living room of her apartment. Although the nurse who tended to her was sleeping on the pull-out coach, the apartment had never felt so empty. It had been many months, but Paula still couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness after he daughters death. Paula looked out over the city of Gotham. The night sky acting as a protective blanket over the crooks and criminals that roamed this city at this late hour. Paula used to be able to sleep knowing that he daughter patrolled the streets, but she hadn't slept for days. She missed her daughter so much.

"Mom,"

It even got to the point where she could hear her daughter from her bedroom, calling her like she used to at this time of night.

"Mom,"

But it had never sounded this loud.

A hand touched Paula's shoulder, to which the Asian woman turned around in her chair to look for the owner of the hand. When she did turn, she couldn't believe her eyes. A tall, strong, girl stood behind her. Her grey eyes were tear ridden and her lips were trembling. The girl stepped around the chair and knelt down in front of Paula.

Paula began to breath heavily. Slowly, she reached out and touched the girls face. "A-Artemis," the named almost sounded foreign to her. The girl bit her lip and nodded. Paula's eyes were blinded by tears. "You-you were dead..." she said, her voice trembled. "How?"

Artemis couldn't hold back. Her brow began to tremble along with her lips, and tears spilled onto her cheeks. She just shook her head "I'm sorry, mom, forgive me, please forgive me,"

The elder woman lunged forward, flying from her chair and landing safely in her daughters arms. The two Crock women whaled loudly as tears poured from their eyes. Paula kissed her daughters head over and over again as Artemis wept into her shoulder. To Paula, no explanation was needed, just the feeling of her daughter in her arms was enough.

They held each other until morning. Not wanting to let go of the family member they though they had lost forever.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>The scene between Kaldur and Artemis was actually 'thought up' before they went off together in Invasion. Hell, before we even found out the Kaldur had switch sides. But I worked the scene so it could apply to season two.<strong>**

**Anyway, I hope this chapter made sense, and I hope that you'll REVIEW!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry for long wait, hope this chapter makes up for it :).**

**And thus, our journey concludes with the final chapter. Here you are :)!**

* * *

><p><span>Ending A Part VI<span>

"So then; all we need is the right opportunity for Kaldur to 'leave'," says Robin as he massages his temples with his finger tips. He's probably tired. It's mid-day and we've been up all night trying to finish off the details to this 'plan'.

Both Kaldur and I squint our eyes as she fall into deep thought. We're only awake cause the image of our father's still poison our minds.

It's been about three months since my return to the team. I like to refer to it as my 'resurrection'. And then I feel horrible about making a mockery out of fake death as I know now how much pain it caused to both my mother and my friends.

My mother.

She still fades between three moods: hysterical crying, anger, and calmness.

One moment, her arms are wrapped around my waist and tears pour from her eyes uncontrollably. The next moment, she yells at me for leaving her, for faking my death. She breaks whatever she can find in this mood. She might then fade back into crying - apologizing for her behavior. And then, just as the moments come on, they disappear; and suddenly, she's calmer than a gentle breeze.

It drives me crazy knowing that I've placed her in a state that she might never recover from. And as I piece together this plan, I feel as though I should move my mother to another planet - just so she doesn't have to deal with the horribleness of loosing her daughter again.

I sigh and push my mother out of my mind (although, it hurts to do so), and chew Robin's words over in my brain. _The right opportunity_.

That term has been used way to often over the past few months. The right opportunity - everything is based off of that.

And by everything, I mean our whole plan.

About a month after my return, Kaldur and I decided it was finally time to get to work on our personal mission - the one to find and stop our fathers. While I was the one who had basically described a rough outline of the unformulated scenario, I couldn't piece it together. I couldn't created the fine details that would hold the plan together that would make this a successful mission.

So, I was the one who decided that Robin would be our 'outside help' - and I'll never forgive my self for it.

Shame on me for dragging Robin into this mess. He doesn't deserve this - he shouldn't have to deal with it. I understand that he is under the wing of the Dark Knight - any form of childhood that Robin could have had has already been ripped away from him. Robin has seen things no boy of his age should see. True, I can't talk. Being the daughter of an assassin keeps me awake with disturbing and traumatizing visions. But Robin is like the little brother I never had - one I want to protect.

Nevertheless, we needed his help.

Years of training from 'The Bat' would have prepared him for something like this. Out of all of us, Robin was probably the last person to ever have to deal with a situation like this first hand - but he was already more prepared than us. Even though he has to help out the leader of his team and a girl trained by The Shadows.

Of course, he didn't object to helping us. But part of me is telling me that as Batman's apprentice, he didn't have a choice. Stupid morals.

"Once he's in-" continues the Boy Wonder. God, is he ever deserving of that title "It's just a matter of sweet talking Black Manta into letting Artemis come with you,"

Kaldur nods. Now he's tired. I can see it in the way he can barely nod. We've both been losing sleep over the ideas that we've come up with - the two major factors of this plan.

One - Kaldur has to betray everyone to prove himself to his father.

Two - I have to 'die'... again.

I remember crying when Robin told me it was the only way. He was right, and I hated it. I shouldn't do it - not again - not after seeing what happened. But yet, I must.

It truly is the only way.

"Other than that, everything is settled," says Robin. He relaxes in his seat - trying to hide the obvious severity of this plan - probably to calm Kaldur and I down. Obviously, that's not going to work, but I appreciate him for trying. "We can even pass it all off as a mission so the League won't bother you guys when it's over,"

When it's over.

I'm pretty sure that chance of me actually dying during _this_ plan is higher than ever before.

But even if I survive? What happens next? Do I run back to the League with my tail between my legs? An apology probably won't cut it. I'm pretty sure they only let me back in cause of how much I mean to the others. And it's not so much the team that matters - it's my mother. I've already messed her up. Not again-

"I'm telling my mom," I blurt out.

Robin looks as though he's about to protest, but he holds it back. Either he knows that he can't change my mind, or he knows that this operation would take a greater toll on my mother.

Kaldur's face looks disapproving for a second, but he lets his facial features relax - he understands too.

"If you must," says Kaldur neutrally. Now I really can't tell how he's feeling. Probably a mix of emotions - like I am right now. "If there is nothing left to discuss, then perhaps we should return to the Mountain," he suggests. Robin and I nod and stand from the table at a local diner in Gotham. It's the only place where it's safe to talk about the plan. We're still 30 minutes early for when we have to report to the mountain, but I'm pretty sure none of us want to talk about 'it' anymore.

As we leave the diner, I have another outburst "I'm telling Wally," I say without thinking. Wow, he just popped right into my mind. I should probably take it back. Wally has no business here. But for some reason, I can't. I want him to know. He has to.

Robin and Kaldur smile to mask their displeased expressions. Dick couldn't hurt his best friend like that, and Kaldur knows too much about love to prevent it. Still, I'm pretty sure they don't like the idea of too many people knowing about the mission.

Kaldur gives my hand a squeeze - not in a romantic way, more of a supportive way. We've grown close - much more like brother and sister than we've ever been. Same for Dick - but he still has that 'Batman mentality' where you don't show too much of your affectionate side to just anyone. But I can guess that Zatanna has seen enough of it. And I like the bond I have with Kaldur - I found that he was the most distant from the team - now I can't picture my life without my 'brother'.

"So," says Robin. "When are you going to tell him?"

I sigh as we enter the Zeta Tube. I think on it as the white light starts to consume us. "I don't know," I pause "I just need the right opportunity,"

* * *

><p><em>Recognize: Robin - Bee Zero One. Aqualad - Bee Zero Two. Artemis - Bee Zero Seven<em>

Wally jumped off the coach in the common room when he heard that group designations being called out by the zeta system. Not for any particular reason - only that his girlfriend was entering the cave. To him, that was reason enough.

Of course, he greeted Robin and Kaldur the same way he always did. But he made sure that he left Artemis' greeting last - causing her to linger around.

When Kaldur and Robin had left the room, Wally and Artemis approached each other.

They stood a good two meters away from each other - arms crossed, faces gently smirking.

"Hey," began Artemis.

"Hey," repeated Wally.

Another long pause of silence.

From a distance, Wally and Artemis looked like an awkward couple. They weren't - they were just different. Wally was big on public displays of affection. Artemis was quite the opposite. Perhaps it was the lessons that he father drilled into her head of never looking vulnerable, but Artemis hated demonstrating her affection for anyone.

Yet if one got close enough, the could see the true love in their eyes. They way that they looked at each other with such an emotional attraction - not purely physical (but the fact that they were both good- no, _great_ looking helped). This could be seen in they way they were looking at each other now.

They looked that they often shared was both unintentional and only lasted for a few seconds. But it was also kind of _their_ thing. It wasn't long or obvious (even to them) it was just something they did to - in a way - show their feelings for each other.

Of course, in private, things changed.

"Come with me," demanded Artemis. Being the first to break their stare, she began walking in the direction of the 'trophy' room. When they arrived, Wally glanced up and down the hallway, then closed the door behind him - a mischievous grin on his face.

He was right in thinking to close the door. Half a second later, the couples lips were all over each other. Although they were still in the Mountain (that was a stretch for Artemis). They weren't worried about cameras (the one in the 'trophy' room had been broken for about a week - or so they had been told. They had their doubts...), and on lookers were always scolded by the pair, so people tried to avoid 'catching' them. Even Robin.

They broke in desperate need for air. Artemis used this time to distract Wally, and explain to him what she wanted him there for.

"I-I need your help," she stammered. She pulled her back-pack off the floor and began to dig around in the green sack. Wally stared at her - puzzled.

Eventually, she found what she was looking for. "I-I don't know what to do with this..."

The mask she had worn as 'Tigress' was being delicately held in her strong hands.

Wally started into the eyes of the mask. He hated that thing. It had almost turned Artemis into something that Wally wouldn't be able to understand. She had told him what happened on the island, and it was true - the mask had given her a false sense of evil power.

"I thought you threw the costume away," said Wally darkly - eyes glued to the mask. To him, it felt as though the mask was looking back at him - taunting him. Telling him that it was more important than their relationship, as it gave Artemis the power she had always craved for. Wally knew that wasn't true, but that didn't stop the mask from making him more angry by looking at it.

Artemis glanced down at the mask. "I did. But... I kept this. I don't know - something kept me from throwing it away,"

Wally had to look up from the mask at that point as it began to laugh at him. How dare that son of a bitch? Especially after it hid Artemis from Wally for some many agonizing days. He didn't hate the mask for making her leave, he hated it for making her stay where she didn't belong.

The look that Wally had in his eyes conveyed a slew of different emotions to Artemis. He was sad, agitated, annoyed, worried, all of the above. Artemis expected this reaction, and was ready for it. She didn't, however, anticipate how much it would hurt her for him to look at her like that.

Once again - looks were very important between the couple. Weather they were good or bad, they helped the two understand each other at a level like no other.

"But,... Artemis-"

"Wally, I know. It-... changed me," she stuttered "But... it-it protected me - it protected you," she said. Her voiced trailed off some, but didn't get lost completely. Her fingers gripped the mask a tad as she spoke. "And I don't want to hide from my past anymore. I need it to be out in the open. I've hid it for so many days, and it's just kept pressing on my mind!" her voice started to shake - Wally noticed.

Gently, he took her hands in his (they still seemed to have a death grip on the mask, but relaxed at the touch of Wally's fingers. "I know it can't be easy," he agreed. "But letting our past stay with us _will_ ruin us in the long run. This thing is apart of your past - so let it stay there," Artemis nodded, but couldn't find it in her to look at him. Wally forgave her for this - he _was_ the prefect and most understanding boyfriend. "Through it away," he said simply.

Artemis nodded, but didn't let the mask escape her hands. "I need to keep it - for a little while,"

"Artemis-"

"Wally?"

The way she said his name made him shut his mouth. A rare occurrence for the speedster. But there was just something in the way she said his name. She sounded so innocent as she pleaded him to listen to her. And not in a demanding way, in a begging way. The sound of her voice was the sound of a broken spirit - it scared Wally to see the broken side of her.

"I just-... I just need to keep it. I promise I'll tell you everything when I can, and I really need for you to trust me on this,"

Wally looked back to the mask. It still smirked at him.

He then looked to Artemis. None of what she was saying made sense to him, but he found it in his heart to trust her. He didn't have to go looking very far anyway.

Nodding, Artemis gave Wally a soft smile and placed the mask up on the shelf - right next to both her father's and her sister's mask. "There," she said quietly "All taken care of,"

As she stared at the mask for a bit, Wally gently took her hand. They didn't make eye contact, but both squeezed the other's hand on speck.

Wally didn't know what Artemis was up to. But it would take an idiot to not see that something big was going to happen in the future. It was a long road for the two of them, but the were going to travel down it together.

* * *

><p><span>Ending B Part VI<span>

I should have known that things would never be the same after I completed my 'mission'.

Actually, I did know. I knew very well that everything would be different right from the start.

But I could never have been properly prepared for it.

While some members of the League are able to hide their distrust of me, the rest watch me like a flock of hawks.

Batman is the worst offender.

He drops into the cave at least twice a week to 'check on me'. He doesn't even hide his motives. He tells me bluntly that I'm still on probation, then leaves without another word.

It's not just the League that's treating me differently, the whole team seems to be acting differently.

The girls (M'gann more than Zatanna) always seem to tear up in my presence. Of course, it's gotten better over the last month or so, but they still acts as though they'll loose me if they turn their back.

I've ruined them. I've crushed their spirit. It's going to take a lot longer than I thought to build it back up again. I could killed myself for what I've done.

The boys are more protective over me - Wally especially. While Robin has eased up during are spars and texts me every five minuets to 'check on me', and Superboy insists on doing mundane tasks for me (like opening jars and moving stuff around), Wally follows me everywhere. He's like a guard dog.

The League hasn't sent us on any proper missions - just mini ones like bank robberies and stuff (the major villains haven't been acting up lately). And on every single one, Wally will run into action ahead of me, almost preventing me from interfering. It kind of pisses me off.

He knows that I didn't actually die, but he still feels as though one thing could go wrong and he'll loose me again.

He has no problem telling me this to my face. I think it helps him a bit - letting me know how he feels. I guess he figures that it will prevent me from ever leaving me again.

Now, Robin does what he does because we're close friends. I think Superboy is more protective because - in a way - he feels guilty about something ('what is it?' you may ask. I'd tell you if I knew).

But Wally is just different. I think this is what love is; protecting someone you care about.

I've seen it from my mom, but it's still a pretty rare concept in my family.

Nevertheless, we are still a family.

And that's why I insisted on visiting them today.

Jade and dad have been locked up in Belle Reve. It's been months since I've seen either of them, but still felt like I should come see them.

Perhaps just to get closure for myself - telling myself that what I did was right. However, I feel as though I'll walk away from this day feel as guilty as I'll ever be.

Right now, I sit waiting in the visitors room for my father and sister. It's a dark room with a single light over head and two steel chairs - a square, plastic white table in-between.

My heart pounds gently against my chest. I am nervous, but I'm still calm somehow. Perhaps it's because I know my father can't kill me in-front of 20 armed guards.

I glance to the corner of the room just as one of the big doors open. My sister enters.

She seems graceful in her walk - her stance shows her superiority to everyone in the room. While she is now behind bars, she still seems to have that control over people. Her dark eyes are glued on me, a small smile playing on her lips into a bit of a smirk as she takes a seat on the opposite side of the table.

We stare at each other for a bit. Finally excepting the reality of the situation.

She breaks the silence first.

"Good evening, Tigress," she smirks.

I smile gently. "Where's dad?" I ask.

Jade leans back in her chair and clasps her hands behind her head. "He didn't want to see you," she says triumphantly. I guess she figures that it would bother me that my dad didn't want to see me.

It doesn't _bother_ me, it _hurts_ me. I guess after all is said and done, the bastard is still my father.

"No message? A death threat perhaps?"

She shakes her head. "As much as he _despises_ you right now-" she puts a ton of emphasis on 'despise' and narrows her eyes "He respects you," she says relaxing them.

I don't buy it. "Really?"

She shrugs "He won't admit it, but it takes _a lot_ for someone to capture him, let alone lie to him,"

"I'm his daughter - I figured he would cut me some slack," I explain with a shrug.

She cocks her eyebrow. "Since when has dad ever 'cut us some slack'?" she questions.

It's true. Our own father, and he would never take it easy on us. Training sessions, judgements, nothing. We were his offspring, but that never changed his attitude towards people.

"How are things on the outside?" she asks.

"Just fine,"

"Back to normal then?" she smirks. She knows very well that things are different to me. I guess she wants to torture me by reminding me so. I frown at her, she smiles. "How's mother?" she continues. "Just dandy I presume?"

Bitch. She knows just how our mom is.

She fades between three moods: hysterical crying, anger, and calmness.

One moment, her arms are wrapped around my waist and tears squirt from her eyes uncontrollably. The next moment, she yells at me for leaving her, for faking my death. She breaks whatever she can find in these moods. She might then fade back into crying - apologizing for her behavior. And then, just as the moments come on, they disappear; and suddenly, she's calmer than a gentle breeze.

It drives me crazy knowing that I've placed her in a state that she might never recover from, and I'm pretty sure Jade knows that.

"Shut it,"

She giggles to herself. Once she calms, she leans forward on her elbows. "So was it really worth it?" she whispers sarcastically, a smirk plastered on her face. "Rendering everyone close to you to a state of depression to nab a couple of badys? Does the League even trust you anymore? And the team... what do they think?"

My glare at her intensifies. I don't know how she does it, but she can always read my thoughts. But I won't give in. Now it's my turn to take the upper hand. I lean forward and meet her halfway. "It's worth seeing a pair of murderous fuckers behind bars," I snarl.

She frowns and leans back her in chair. I mirror her actions. After a second or two, her frown turns upside down - into a wide smile - like the Cheshire cat. "Murderous fuckers, eh? That's how you talk about you family?"

"Like you guys ever cared about our family,"

"I always have," she sighs. "Especially since we're all so alike,"

My face becomes one puzzled expression. "We're nothing a like,"

"Think about it, _sis_," she practically spits on the word 'sis'. "Mom was a killer, dad's a killer, and I'm a killer. And you-"

"Are not anything like you,"

"- have killer tendencies," she snickers. "I saw you on the beach. You were about to kill dad," My heart stops. She's right. I forgot how far I digressed in their company. I remember faintly the power I had over him, how I held his horrible life in my hands, how awful I felt afterwards. "Say what ever you want, sis," continues Jade. "But it doesn't take much to trigger a killers skill. And by God, did you have some flawless skills," I look to the corner of the room. The blood in my body is rushing around in embarrassment. "And don't give me any 'broken spirit crap'," she spits. "Killers kill when they can - they try to suppress it, but it always comes 'round. Face it - you're one of us,"

I tear comes to my eye. Luckily, I'm able to wipe it away before she sees. I hate this bitch. I come to try and patch things up, and everything is ruined.

I glare back at her - she sits triumphantly again.

No. I won't let her win. Not thing time.

"Maybe I do share some bad blood," she frowns at my retaliation. "But I don't let it control me. If you recall, I didn't kill him. Killers kill, I don't. And I'll never sink to that level that's lower than dirt again," my voice is drenched in venom as speak. I don't wait to see her reaction as I stand aggressively from my chair and stomp towards the door. I can't even stand to be in the same room as her.

"Artemis!"

I stop in my tracks at her call. However, I refuse to turn around.

There's a long pause before she speaks again. "I'm sorry,"

She doesn't specify for what, and I know she won't. It probably took all of her pride and courage to formulate an apology, and I have to respect her for that. I'm probably the first, last, and only person to ever hear that word come from her.

"I know," I respond.

Then, I leave. No words - but we both know I'll come back and visit her. We also both know that she'll _need_ me to visit.

Dad? I don't know how long it will be before I can see him again. If I did, he'd either threaten me, or bring up my 'cold-blooded' killer side like Jade. I'd love to give him a piece of my mind like I did to Jade. But how would that change anything?

Despite what she's done, Jade isn't a bad person.

Dad, on the other hand, is the _definition_ for a bad person.

I pass through the door of the exiting room and sigh. At least I have some sort of a proper family to go home to.

As I exit the visiting room, I hear an uproar of a familiar voice.

"Look y'all, it's the fuck-faced pile of yellow crap who got us locked up in this joint!"

Tuppence Terror.

I thought I'd never hear that voice again.

I look to see the whole 'team' standing in a long line - all chained together and bond by handcuffs. They seemed to be walking to their cells as they are lead by 10 guards to the cell blocks. I freeze - they probably want my blood. I can see it in the way the girls are giving my death glares. The guards tighten the grips around the remotes that control the braces around their necks.

Cameron glares at her. "Those are a lot of big words for you," he says sarcastically. Wow, I thought they'd _all_ want to rip my apart.

Tuppence gives him a strange look. "She puts you in the big house and you still want to _get_ with her? Boy, you-"

"Shut it already!" shouts Tommy as he gives her a violent push forward. Tuppence falls to the ground. As the guards bend down to help her, they all shoot Tommy a warning look.

Surprisingly, they don't shock him. Probably because they secretly _really_ hate Tuppence more than anyone.

When they help Tuppence up, the guards begin separating the boys from the girls. Tuppence snarls at me one last time before being ushered off. Shimmer also snarls, but says nothing as she passes me.

"Don't worry about them," says Cameron. The guards must be letting the boys have a moment before whisking them away. "They might come around... in the afterlife," he giggles.

I don't giggle back. I just give him a strange look. "Why are you being so nice to me?" I ask with great curiosity.

Cameron shrugs. "I've got a warm spot for all lovely ladies," he jokes. "But - I heard what happened between you and your dad from the boat. I know you were only after him. I can't blame you for what happened to us. And, I know what it's like to have a jerk-off for a dad. We used to be in this _together_, remember?" he smiles.

I do. Both Cameron and I have horrible dads. We used to find sanctuary in each other's company.

But that was a long time ago. I'm still shocked that it's coming into play today.

"And what about you, Tommy?" I ask, letting the fear in my heart be noticed. "I thought crossing a Terror would lead to a slow and painful death,"

Tommy just smiles a bit "You may be a horrendous bitch, but I still owe ya," he blushes a bit.

I smile gently. "Have you told anyone else?"

He shakes his head. "I reckon people 'round here aren't to keen on having a powerless faggot running around. Besides, who needs to know?" he asks with a wink.

I sigh and nod in understanding. I hate to have him hide, but he has a point.

"Alright, visiting hours are over, move along!" shouts a guard. The boys are pushed forward past me and lead to their cells.

Before mammoth is taken away, he stares at me for a long time. His eyes seem sad, tortured, and betrayed. But also, in a way, forgiving. Slowly, he brings his hand up and opens the palm towards me.

Hesitantly, I bring my hand up and rest it against his. My hand barely covers his palm. Then, he curls his huge fingers over my small (in comparison) and extended ones. It is then, that for probably the first, last, and only time, that I see Mammoth smile at me. And it's probably the most sweetest smile I've ever seen.

At that moment, I want to cry for him.

Mammoth has only ever been a teenaged boy. Sure he was willing to be transformed into a hulking monster, but to be like that forever must hurt him. Of course he _knew_ the effects on his physical body were permanent, but the toll it must be taking on him emotionally - to be hated and thought of a monstrous and disgusting by literally every other human - is too big.

Perhaps he knows that I can see the good in him and - perhaps - he loves me for it.

It's the classic '_Beauty and the Beast' _tale.

He is then pushed forward by the guards. We stare at each other until he is out of sight.

If I ever see him again, I'll refrain from telling him about my love for Wally. I just don't think I can hurt him like that.

No, I don't love him. But I like to have something called 'human decency' - I don't like to parade around and kill people emotionally.

Wait... these past few months...

My name is Artemis Crock, and I am a huge hypocrite.

* * *

><p>Wally paced slowly outside of Belle Reve. Artemis had convinced him earlier that day to literally run her over to Belle Reve. Wally figured she wanted to see her father and sister, he didn't need to ask.<p>

Wally would admit that he is a lot more protective over Artemis now, even though he knows she hates it. Either way, he almost refuses to let her out of his sight. So that's why he didn't complain, and quickly obliged to her command. The fact they were kind of a 'thing' now also helped.

After about 30 minutes of walking back and forth in front of the gates, Wally exhaled deeply and leaned up against one of the cold stone walls. The scenery around Belle Reve was quite dismal, but he didn't expect it to be any different.

"Bad idea to let your guard down, West,"

Wally's head snapped up at the sound of an all-to familiar voice. Moving his head as fast as he could, he looked around for any signs of human life that could be lurking around in the shadows.

A second later, the familiar face that owned the familiar voice popped out from... somewhere.

Wally frowned, but stayed still. "Hunter," he growled.

Hunter smiled and sped over to him. When the two boys were closer, they didn't move for a few moments. Wally was enraged at the sight of him, and Hunter was having too much fun watching Wally get angrier and angrier.

Wally didn't know why he wasn't trying to fight Hunter at this very moment. His body kept him still - as if in protest against his thoughts. For some reason, Wally needed to here Hunter talk before he could attack him. Information, an explanation on his disappearance, something - then Wally would attack.

"How you bin, Wally?" asked hunter smugly. He was wearing his 'Zoom' uniform, only without the mask portion.

"What are you doing here, Hunter?" spat Wally, prepping to through a punch if needed.

Hunter smirked and studied his nails. "I'd thought I'd visit an old friend," he replied. "How have things been going with you a your zombie girlfriend? Treating you well? I can only imagine what she's like in bed-"

Wally let rage get the better of him, and he used his left arm to pin Hunter against the gate - elbow digging into the left side, fist pressing into the right. His right hand was clenched and still at the ready. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break your skull in right now." he growled.

Hunter seemed shocked for a brief moment, but then relaxed a great deal. "High morals - remember?"

Wally pressed harder on Hunter's shoulders. Both boys knew that Hunter could break away from this hold whenever he wanted to. It was because of that, that Wally figured he wasn't there to fight. The redhead released his blonde doppleganger, and backed-up a step or two.

"Now there's a good boy," taunted Hunter as he adjusted his stance to get more comfortable.

"I could turn you in right now if I wanted to-"

"Could you, West? Really?" interrupted Hunter. "Because, from what I recall, we were matched on the island. The fight could go to either one of us. A 50/50 chance," Wally squinted his eyes. The guy had a point. Plus, there had to be a reason that he wanted to see Wally without fighting. "Look, I don't want to fight, I want to talk" said Hunter, confirming Wally's idea.

"Really? Cause last time we were in the same area, you threaten to kill me next time we saw each other,"

Hunter threw his head back with a hardy laugh. "Oh, that? That was three months ago!"

"Then..." Wally paused and glared. "What _do_ you want to talk about?" he asked.

Hunter gave him a cheeky grin. "Despite _everything_ - and I mean _everything_," began Hunter. "I still don't hate you West, and I wanted you to know that," Hunter paused "I mean, you stole my chances at having a hot girlfriend, foiled my teams planned, and will willingly send me to prison," Hunter counted on his fingers all the wrongs Wally had done to him as he said them. "But, I don't hate you,"

Now, Wally was really confused. "How-?

Hunter smiled. "You were good to me, West. I don't forget things like that. Here, think about it this way," said Hunter as he threw an arm around Wally - making Wally extremely uncomfortable "When Superman 'died-" said Hunter with a laugh "Lex-y didn't hesitate to go to his funeral - even though the guy had spent most of his career trying to kill him. You and I are going to be enemies, West. You're going to foil all of my plans, but you'll never be able to catch me. We can't deny it, that's how the world works," Hunter released Wally. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out his red mask and put it on his head. "I can't change, and neither will you. Even _if_ you could stop me now - put me in there and all -" he said, gesturing to Belle Reve "I'd find away out. that's how it works, that's how it's always worked. Villains are dependent on Hero's and vise versa. It keeps the world in balance," Wally was about to protest before he realized that Hunter had a point. All Wally could do now was watch Hunter adjust his mask. When he was good to go, Hunter sighed and held out his hand "So, before we get started - and I make your life a living hell - I just wanted you to know that I don't hate you. Good Luck, West,"

Wally stared at Hunter's hand. Although Wally knew he was going to regret it, he took Hunter's yellow glove in his hand and shook it. "Before you go, Hunter-" started Wally. "I have to ask; The boy in the wheelchair - the kid who used the treadmill in the Flash museum and blew it up... that was you?:

Hunter nodded. "My dad hit my lower back with a chair and paralyzed everything from the waist down the same night he killed my mother to keep my from running away and calling the police. I thought using the treadmill would help. Now look at me," he laughed. Wally smiled a little, but was still sickened by the torment Hunter had to go through.

When their hands separated, Hunter began walking the other way, and Wally watched him disappear.

Suddenly, Hunter turned around. Then, at top speed, he ran and tapped Wally on the shoulder.

"Tag," he said with a smile. "You're it,"

Then, he took off again.

Wally smiled and shook his head. His hero career just got a whole lot more interesting.

At the same moment, the gates of Belle Reve opened.

Wally turned his head to see his favored blonde archer slowly walking away from the prison. Her hands were in her pockets and her eyes were on her feet as they took one slow step ahead of the other. Her face was scrunched up as she was in deep thought, and she almost seen to be ignorant of the world around her. She was just about to pass him, when he grab her attention.

"Hey," called Wally.

Artemis' head whipped around at the sound of his voice. When she saw him, she smiled. "Hey," she repeated.

Another long pause of silence.

From a distance, Wally and Artemis looked like an awkward couple. They weren't - they were just different. Wally was big on public displays of affection. Artemis was quite the opposite. Perhaps it was the lessons that he father drilled into her head of never looking vulnerable, but Artemis hated demonstrating her affection for anyone.

Yet if one got close enough, the could see the true love in their eyes. They way that they looked at each other with such an emotional attraction - not purely physical (but the fact that they were both good- no, _great_ looking helped). This could be seen in they way they were looking at each other now.

They looked that they often shared was both unintentional and only lasted for a few seconds. But it was also kind of _their_ thing. It wasn't long or obvious (even to them) it was just something they did to - in a way - show their feelings for each other.

Of course, in private, things changed.

Wally stepped closer to her. "How did it go in there?" asked Wally - concern ringing throughout his voice. He didn't particularly like the idea of Artemis going to Belle Reve. not only was it dangerous, he was afraid how her father and sister would react to seeing her. However, she wanted to go, and he would be damned if he prevented her from going. And besides, he thought it was brave of her wanting to patch things up.

Artemis shrugged and turned her head to the side. Not so much to avoid Wally's eyes, but to continue thinking without any visual distractions. "Fine," she said with a slight sigh.

Wally also sighed some. He took her response to be more of a 'less than fine' answer. He extended his hand out to her. "Wanna head back to the mountain?" he asked. Artemis smiled slightly and took his hand in hers. They began to walk before Wally spoke again. "I think it was brave-... what you did," he said, gesturing to Belle Reve. Artemis glanced back at the building and nodded - disappointment evident in her eyes.

Wally knew it better not to ask. Artemis was a pretty private person, and only talked when she wanted to.

"I don't know what I was excepting," she admitted. Wally was slightly shocked at her confession, but didn't show it. "Or... why I went really. It-it was just something I had to do,"

Wally nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. "I know," he said softly.

Artemis took a deep breath and gently shook her head. "So..." she started, thinking of a way to change to subject. "Now that my... ninja dad is in jail," she joked. Wally had to laugh slightly. "What is a ninja girl and her ninja boyfriend to do?"

Wally thought on it for a moment, then his face lit up like fireworks on the Forth of July. "Want some lunch? I know a great pizza place in New York," he suggested.

Artemis cocked an eyebrow at him. "So... zeta there?"

Wally shook his head. "Nah. That's the boring way,"

Before Artemis could asked, Wally had checked their surroundings for on-lookers, then swept her up into his arms bridal-style, and began running at top speed for New York.

Artemis didn't protest, but laughed instead.

As she and Wally ran off, she thought to herself; She had a pretty crappy past, but she could tell, right now, that her future was going to be awesome.

Killer blood or not, she was a good person, and that's all either she and Wally needed

* * *

><p><strong>Stuff to explain:<strong>

**- The 'Superman death/Lex' thing was taken from an episode of _Justice League._**

**- The breakdown of hero vs villain was used to show Hunter's knowledge of ... things. In the comics, he studies criminal psychology (if I recall), so I wanted to show that he has an understanding of these things. **

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**Thank you so much for all the positive reviews! I'm glad you guys liked my story :).**

**Side note: I'm looking to write more on either Traught, Longshot, Frostbite, or Kaldur/Artemis friendship stuff (guess who my fav character is ;) ), but I'm having a hard time coming up with inspiration. Help a writer out?**

**Either way, thanks for reading, and don't forget to REVIEW!**


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